Percy Jackson Awakened
by Spiritseer245
Summary: Percy's life changed the day Gabe had pulled the trigger and made him an orphan. He reunites with old friends and learns about his hidden heritage. Now thrown into a world where death is a constant threat, Percy must work with friends, new and old, to save the world. AU. Spin off from my story. We'll figure this out part 2. Please tell me if rating should change.
1. Orphaned

**So here's that spin off I promised you. And if you haven't read We'll figure this out part 2 Annabeth and you want more back ground, like how it got to this point please read that story. This first chapter will be sad, so you might want some tissues and a blanket to snuggle up in. If you aren't easily affected by reading than challenge accepted! Just kidding! Maybe... Anyway if you feel that the rating needs to go up please tell me.**

**Disclaimer, I do not own Percy Jackson, all rights belong to Rick Riordan, not me...**

Percy had his eyes closed, waiting for his inevitable demise. _BANG! _Nothing happened. He listened as something heavy landed on the floor. What would he see when he opened his eyes? His shoulder burned white hot from the built embedded into it and his nose felt like it was swollen to the size of a soft-ball.

Bravely, he dared to open his eyes. His step-father no longer towered over him. The putrid man was now lying on the ground, dead. With a cry of shock Percy scrambled away, partly because of the body, but mostly because of the wall of water that had shielded him from the gun. It was impossible, but there it was. A three inch thick wall of water, the built must have bounced off of it.

"Oh God, Oh God." He muttered as he tried to crawl away.

The pain in his shoulder was forgotten. He was hallucinating, he had to be, it wouldn't be the first time. His trembling hand bumped into his mother's limp out stretched one. He heard the water fall to the floor, but paid no mind to it, even as it began to pool around his feet. An icy sensation coursed through him. He didn't care, he wanted his mom back. He despised Gabe for killing her. For taking everything from both him and his mom, but he couldn't seem to hold onto his anger when looking at his mother.

"Mom." He sobbed. Percy desperately shook her shoulders. "Please, please, come back. I promise I won't complain ever again. I will work hard, bring my grades up to 'A's'. I'll join the swim team like you wanted me to. Please don't leave me...You're all I have."

Her face still remained pale and timeless. Percy knew that his mom never seemed to age, despite the new wrinkles and grey hairs she got with each passing year she never seemed old to him. His body shook with tremendous sorrow and guilt. She had never explained to him why she had married Gabe, but she said it was for him, because she loved him. If it was because she thought he needed a male role model, he knew she could have done _way_ better.

What could Percy have needed so bad that his mother would marry such a troll?

_"Percy, your father is Poseidon."_

Her words seemed to echo in his head. Maybe hitting her head was making her hallucinate as well. Making her believe that his father didn't just abandon her because he couldn't take responsibility for his own actions. Percy wanted to pretend that maybe she had said _'Percy, your father is poison'_, but he knew that is not what he had heard or what she was saying. The young teen tried to process everything that had just happened to him.

Percy released his mother's shoulder and crawled to the kitchen cabinets. He pressed his back to them and curled around his knees. Heart wrenching cries escaped him as he let out heaving breaths. He's lost everything. He's lost the only person in the world whose ever loved him. Even with the smell of his step-father's beer on his knees Percy refused to uncoil himself.

How could everything just go away in the blink of an eye?

He couldn't tell you how long he had spent just sobbing his heart out. He wouldn't either. Something within him in that moment was shattered. Percy was sure he'd never be fixed again. His life was over at the measly age of fourteen.

_"Percy...please brave one, pick yourself up."_

The young teen became still. It couldn't have been _her_ voice, could it? He lifted his head slightly and looked at his mother. She was still lying as she had been when he had last looked at her, but now her face held a deathly sheen. _I've really lost it_ he decided and miserably tucked his head back into his knees.

_"Come on little prince, you cannot stay here. You're needed else where. You must get moving."_ The feminine voice persisted.

Again Percy lifted his head to inspect his mother. He hoped for the impossible, maybe it was his mother speaking to him beyond the grave. Movement in the puddle of water caught his attention. What he saw sent him flailing backwards, smashing his head into the cabinets. It was a woman, she looked like his mom, but something within him told him not to get his hopes up.

"Who are you?" He asked.

_"A friend. Your mother will be taken care of, as well as the mortal man."_ The voice assured him. _"You must leave, this is no longer the place for you."_

Percy looked back at his mom and suddenly the tatter-tots and chicken tenders from his lunch didn't want to stay down anymore. Nausea swept over him like a wave of hot air. The young teen stumbled as he rushed to the bathroom. His entire stomach content threw it's self into the toilet. Even after he no longer had his lunch, Percy was still dry heaving for what felt like forever.

Finally his body gave into exhaustion. Gingerly, he brought himself to rest next to the toilet and rested his head on some clean towels that his mom hadn't gotten around to putting away. Percy wanted to fall asleep and pretend all he had just been through was just a dream, but the pain in his arm and the blood clotted in his nose reminded him other wise.

_"Please young one, you must hurry, they're after you. They can sense you."_

The newly found orphan shivered on the floor, "Who's after me?"

Frankly, he didn't care what happened to him from then on. His mom was gone. His best friend was his English teacher Mr. Blowfis. His home has become a murder scene. Percy couldn't see his life going anywhere from here. Knowing his luck, the cops will assume he was the one who killed Gabe and...his mom. A new round of tears fell down his abused face. He just wanted this nightmare to end.

"_They will take your life without a moments hesitation," _The woman's voice told him. _"Please __Perseus, get up."_

Percy calmed himself, "How do you know my real first name? I've never told anyone it."

_"If I tell you do you promise you will leave?"_ Percy nodded. The voice sighed, _"We all know your true identity child, us who live under your father's reign. We've been watching you ever since you were born. It has been so long since a half-blood of the sea has been sired."_

Slowly Percy began bringing himself from the bathroom floor. Half-blood? He wondered what that meant. Closing his eyes he thought back to Mr. Brunner's lectures in his classes all those years ago. A half-blood was a child of a mortal and...a god. So, his mom wasn't crazy?

"_Brave one, your promise!" _The voice chided. _"You must leave, find Chiron. He'll be able to protect you, train you, turn you into the hero you're meant to be."_

Me? A hero? Now I've really lost it. Percy scoffed to himself, but didn't let his doubts stop him from fulfilling his promise. He brought himself to his feet and carefully made his way to his bed room. The teen really didn't want to see the bodies anymore, but he had to step around them to get to his room. Once he managed to reach his room, Percy began to pack an old traveling bag with clothing, money he found around his room and some he swiped from Gabe's pocket, junk-food, and a tooth-brush.

Just as he was about to leave an old picture of him and his mom caught his eye. He set the bag down by the door and walked to the small frame. It was of him and his mom before she had married Gabe. The last time they ever went to Montauk (they almost went when he was twelve, but Gabe told them to forget it). His hair was a wild mess, his green eyes large and innocent, and his cheeks rosy with life. His mom was smiling just as brightly, looking as beautiful as ever. They were both awkwardly placed into the picture's frame because he had insisted that she let him take the picture, his arm was so short that they both had to scrunch together cheek to cheek to fit into it.

More tears trailed down his raw face. Numbly, Percy picked up the frame and put it into his bag. He knew he couldn't take all of the keep-sake's they had, but this picture represented the last time he and his mom were truly happy. After resisting the urge to look back, Percy grabbed his bag and began to walk bravely out of the apartment. He knew that he no longer belonged there, if he ever did in the first place.

Where would he go now?

Percy finally reached the steps which led to the outside. A path he took every day now seemed incredibly daunting. He took a deep breath in through his mouth and slowly released it as he took his first step out of the apartment complex. The sunset was already beginning, he knew that he didn't have long to find out his next step. He looked in both directions of the side walk. Maybe he should have asked the water lady if she could give him a map or a G.P.S unit or something? He had to find a guy named Chiron...

"Percy?" A familiar voice startled him out of his thoughts.

He found the owner of the voice to his right. It was Mr. Blowfis. Percy wondered what his teacher was doing in _this_ part of town. The teacher looked as if he should have been on television instead of taking care of a bunch of High school kids. Paul Blowfis was the type of guy Percy felt his mom should have been with, at least Paul would have treated her with the respect that she deserved.

In truth Mr. Blowfis had been coming to Percy's house every so often, like once or twice a week when Gabe wasn't around. Paul was giving Percy's mom 'secrete' lessons, the English teacher would help her in her endeavor of becoming an author. Percy knew there was something more between the two, which was why he readily agreed to keep their meetings a secrete. Now, however, his mom wouldn't become a famous writer or marry Paul, she was gone.

"Hey Paul." Percy bowed his head hoping to hide his bruised nose, but he had been too slow.

"What happened?" Paul demanded as he lifted Percy's chin for a better look at the damaged nose. As neat as it was to have a father figure who actually cared about him, Percy was sometimes impatient when Paul played mother hen. "Did Gabe...Percy's what's going on? Are you running away? You know that would devastate your mom."

Percy's eyes teared up at the mention of his mom, "Paul...my mom...Gabe...he..."

"What?" Suddenly Paul's eyes found the hole in the shoulder of Percy's shirt. He was quick, he turned Percy so he could get a better look at the hole where the built embedded it's self into. "Oh God."

"She's gone Paul...he...he..." Percy paused as he tried to remain calm. "They're both dead."

Paul's face paled, "Let's call the Police and I'll drive you to the hospital."

Painfully the teen tugged away from his teacher's grip. Percy felt as if he were trapped. He didn't know what he should do. He needed time alone to think, but he really didn't know how much blood he had lost. Maybe it was the adrenalin that was keeping him going.

"Percy, we don't know how much blood you've lost." The English teacher tried to reason. "You need help."

"I...I...I just need to get out of here." Percy told him. "I...I can't think. I need to be alone."

Without another word Percy tightened his grip onto his bag and began sprinting as fast as he could down the street. Paul's pleas for him to come back faintly reached his ears, but Percy didn't listen. He just kept on running.

**Hello this was the first chapter hope you enjoyed. Don't worry there'll be more! I will try my best to post often. Also I know this chapter was really sad and if you think my rating should go up please tell me. Also REVIEW**

**Also if you are wondering why the water didn't heal Percy completely as soon as it touched him, it's because he doesn't completely accept who he is yet.**


	2. On The Run

**Last time we left off with poor Percy losing everything. If you haven't read We'll figure this out Part 2 Annabeth you should know this is a spin off from part of the story. It's an alternate universe. It's going to start off sad, but I will try to put funny and happy stuff into it as I write more.**

**Disclaimer, I do not own Percy Jackson, all rights belong to Rick Riordan.**

Percy didn't know how long he had been running. He still didn't know where he was running to. All he knew was one; it was dark, two; he was cold, three; the pain in his arm had intensified to a hundred, and four; he was completely exhausted. On top of all of that he was hungry. He didn't know if he could keep moving. The fourteen year-old wondered what he was supposed to do.

He had never lived on the streets before.

It couldn't be too hard. His old friend Tyson survived on the streets and he seemed to do fine. If Percy remembered correctly the big kid use to live in a refrigerator box. He shuddered regretfully, living on the street wouldn't be easy. Percy could see how painfully obvious Tyson's misery was, but Gabe would never allow _any_ charity be given to the unfortunate kid.

With a sigh Percy searched each ally he passed by for a box big enough to fit himself in. Each time he had almost found a place to crawl into for the night he discovered that it was already occupied by a homeless person or it was _way_ to soggy for anyone to consider using it for a bed. Seeing as he had no choice in the matter, Percy decided Central Park would be his best option. His uninjured arm clutched onto his bag and his other was tucked comfortably into his jacket he continued to his destination.

He was starting to reach the busier parts of the city. Usually he'd never be out this far without his mother, but he had no choice. Percy tried not to cry out each time an uncaring person shouldered their way past him and hit his wound. The last thing he needed was for someone to recognize he was hurt and send him to the hospital. He feared what his future would hold if the state took him into their care.

Percy eyed the signs lining the street lamps. He knew he was getting closer and closer to his destination. The thought of finally being able to rest made his whole body feel heavy. He wanted to just curl up and give into the bliss of sleep. Sleep would provide him peace, though he knew it would only be for a few hours.

To his ever lasting relief he could see Central Park coming into view. It was also lit up by lamps, but Percy knew that there were many bridges and tunnels he could rest in. From the few times he had gone to the park he could never forget it's beauty (or how fun it was to hide in the tunnels). He felt his throat catch as he remembered how much he enjoyed playing hide-and-seek with his mom when he was little. After strengthening his resolve Percy ran across the street and into the green flourished land.

It didn't take him too long to find the perfect place to sleep. He set his bag down and rested his head on it. Percy closed his eyes thinking the emotional and physical trauma he had experienced that day would have made it easy to fall asleep. That wasn't the case however. The young teen's thoughts kept wondering to the tears in his mother's eyes as she spoke her final words to him. He could almost hear the fist shot ringing through the air again.

He gave another vain attempt to fall asleep, but in a moment of panic he began rifling through his bag. Percy found his flashlight and grabbed the photo of him and his mom. His finger's traced over his mother's features. Her smile was pure untarnished joy. Hiccups escaped him as he thought about how she'd never again give him that kind smile that made his day so much better. The smile that told him that he _was _loved.

"I love you too mom." He whispered the words he wish he could have uttered to her one more time.

Percy put the flash light back into his bag, but he kept the picture rested over his heart. His exhaustion took over and he was finally taken into the arms of a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Hey kid." A voice hissed at him. Percy felt someone poke his injured arm sharply. "Kid are you dead?"

Slowly Percy's eyes opened. Everything looked so blurry and bright to him. He groaned as he brought his heavy body into a upright position. The man kneeling next to him jumped back spewing a couple curses in surprise. The man wore a beat up old jacket that hung loosely on him and pants that were worn right on through. His hair was grey and filthy. The man's face didn't seem to be any better. It seemed as if he was found by homeless person.

Percy realized that he was homeless now too.

"Holy Knish!" the homeless man exclaimed. "I saw the blood and I thought, well you know."

The teen looked at his bloody arm. He had put a make shift wrap on it the night before, when he was sure that Paul was not following him, but after that he paid no mind to it. Blood had seeped through it since then, although Percy was sure that the bleeding was done. He knew that he needed to get it cleaned and remove the bullet, but he didn't have the resources or money to do anything.

"It's fine." Percy lied. "Just a scratch."

The man scowled and studied the wound, "A scratch my-"

"Sir." Percy interrupted. "Can you tell me if you've heard of a man named Chiron?"

"The name's Dutch." He told the teen sharply and began scratching his stubble covered chin. "And I don't know no 'Chiron', but I might be able to tell ya' something if you give me that bag of yours."

As much as Percy wanted to find this Chiron guy, he wasn't about to give up everything he owned for fake information. Percy shook his head at Dutch and began to collect his things. He had a feeling staying there in the tunnel with 'Dutch' wouldn't be the best idea. Even worse, like an idiot, Percy turned his back to the man. The first blow landed on the back of his head.

"Ugh."

Percy let out a sharp breath and fell to his knees. If he wasn't so weak from blood loss, a hit like that wouldn't have affected him so much, but the man might as well of had a bat in his hands. He franticly reached for the bag, hoping to intercept Dutch's hands. Percy had been a moment too slow. His already abused nose was greeted by the blunt end of the bag. He watched on pathetically as Dutch ran off with everything he had left in the world.

The teen scrambled and tried to get to his feet. His shoes slipped on the damp asphalt, by the time he recovered Dutch was gone. So was his money, clothing, food, and the picture of him and his mom. Out of anger Percy kicked the tunnel wall with all his might. Big mistake.

"I hate this!" He shouted as he cradled his smarting foot in his hands. Percy's green eyes wondered upward. "What did I do? What did I ever do?"

GRRRR

Percy's stomach rumbled angrily. He hadn't eaten since the day before at lunch. With a grimace, he remembered that his lunch had fled him that afternoon. In reality Percy was more than hungry, he felt as if he were starving. Would this ever end?

He sighed and decided he should stop focusing on food and begin his search for Chiron. The woman in the water, ha no, he's not crazy, she had told him that people would be after him. She said they wouldn't hesitate to kill him. He may be depressed, but dying wasn't something he was ready to do. He knew his mom would want him to keep moving forward. Seeing her picture had reminded him of that.

But the picture was gone now. Percy swallowed the lump and his throat and began limping into the sunlight. He figured that it was noon because of how high the sun was and how hot the air felt. Since it was Saturday many people were inhabiting the park. Taking a deep breath in he began to wander around the hoping to work his way out.

Other than strange glances he'd receive from other park goers Percy was widely ignored. Every once in a while people would stop him and offer their phone so he could call someone. He politely refused every time, neglecting to tell them there was no one for him to call.

"Percy Jackson?" a even voice asked. Turning on his heel the young teen saw two burly men in Police uniforms standing behind him.

"Y..Yes?" He stammered. The one who spoke looked him up and down, his eyes rested on the hastily doctored bullet wound on Percy's arm.

"We've been looking for you young man." the cop continued. "Your teacher, Mr. Blofis, he's very concerned about your safety. He warned us you were injured."

Percy's whole body tensed. Something felt, off, about these two. The second one was looking at him hungrily with reptilian like eyes. The teen did a double take and blinked. His vision wasn't playing tricks on him, the man literally had pulps slit like a reptiles. The first cop gave him a wide toothy grin.

"Can we just cut all of this small talk and eat him?" the snake eyed cop asked. A forked tong flicked from between his lips as he hissed at Percy. He blinked at the guys statement. _Can they what now?_

The spikey toothed cop wacked the guy on the head. "You're an idiot, you know Kronos is paying a lot of money for demigods. Think Killer."

"How much?" Killer muttered. "This one smells almost too good to just let him pass Slate."

Percy didn't know who Kronos was, but he had a feeling Killer and Sate were two of the people who the woman had warned him about. He scanned his surroundings. An even larger crowd was entering the park. Maybe he could rush into it and out run these guys.

"I'm sure a large reward." Slate growled.

While they arguing with each other about his fate, Percy turned on his heel and began to run towards the group of people with all of his remaining energy. He could faintly hear the 'cops' yelling and knew they were probably chasing right behind him. To his relief he was able to easily plunge into the crowed. Being as thin as he was, Percy was able to slide himself through people and maneuver more easily than the fake cops.

He'd occasionally hear someone cuss at him when he hit them with his shoulder, but he didn't care as long as distance was put between him and the monsters. Percy was able to discover the exit to the park and he continued towards Times Square. When he finally dared to look over his shoulder he could see that the men were still trying to squeeze their way through the people.

Killer spotted him and pointed, "There! Hold it demigod!"

Percy did the only logical thing. He kept on running away from those two. Times Square was especially busiy during the afternoon and Percy planned to use it to his full advantage. He used the crowed to cover his turn onto the street at his right. He bolted through a couple.

"Watch it punk!" The man called after him.

He ignored the man. Something in his gut told him to turn left and he swerved sharply to the sidewalk on the right side of the street. Percy, with adrenalin as his guide, continued to run down the street. With a surprise he finally noticed the Empire State building rising up as he grew closer. His mom had refused to take him to the top of the building multiple times, but he never really understood why.

Percy sent another fearful glance behind himself. He prayed that he had lost the men. The teen had spent so much time focusing on what was behind him that he hadn't noticed he was heading for a head on collision with someone. Percy grunted as he fell backwards onto the ground.

"Hey." The person he ran into complained.

**Wow, I am so mean to Percy. What do you guys think of my spin off so far? I'm excited to see where it's going! Who is this mysterious person? Also I've only been to New York once so please don't get angry if I am inaccurate about the distances, I am going off my memory of being there.**


	3. Old Friends

**Hey here's chapter three! I hope you're enjoying the story. I know that Dutch is a jerk. I felt bad for Percy as soon as I wrote the guy in. I will figure out some justice for the man's thievery. **

**I do not own Percy Jackson, and while this story is a alternate universe I still do not own the series or characters or any plot points that are similar to Rick Riordan's storyline.**

Percy murmured a quick apology. He knew he had absolutely no time to apologize to the person. His eyes searched to see if the men were behind him. Sure enough the monsters were gaining on him, fast. Their cackling laughter reached his ears. Percy felt his skin crawl.

"It's alright ma..." he heard the person pause. "Percy? Percy Jackson?"

_Great, _Percy thought. _I'm famous._

He looked at the guy's face. There was something familiar about the brown eyes, brown hair, and wiry stubble on the guy's chin. Percy was immediately flashed back to Yancy Academy when he was twelve. This kid was his very first friend. Grover Underwood.

"Grover." He grabbed the still scrawnier kid's shoulders. "We have to run. These, things, they're after me."

Grover looked over Percy's shoulder and paled. Without saying a word he grabbed Percy's wrist and began running in the direction of the Empire State building. Percy was confused, Grover seemed more concerned about the men than he'd thought a random person should. Part of him thought it would seem like he was avoiding the law, but Grover didn't need to question him at all.

Percy was thankful for that.

The Empire State building was huge. Percy almost stopped to admire it more, but the shouting growing closer behind him quickly snapped him back into reality. He let Grover lead him into the building. The inside was very brightly lit despite the high sun outside. Grover pulled him up to a desk where a man was reading a comic book. Try as he might, even with the help he had been reviving from his mom and Paul, Percy's dyslexia acted up with the cursive words scrawled on the front.

"We need to go to the sixth hundredth floor." Grover breathed heavily. His pulps were doing that weird, goat like thing Percy remembered they did. Usually it was when Grover was afraid, like when Mrs. Dodds would glower at him.

Percy leaned next to his ear, "I hate to tell you this man, but there is no sixth hundredth floor."

"You should listen to him young man. He is right." the guy reading the comic book agreed. He didn't even look up at the two of him. Percy watched on as the man rested his feet on the desk.

"For the love of Zeus!'" Grover cried and slammed his fist on the table. "You know who I am, and this kid right next to me is in danger. I know you're smart enough to guess what he is!"

The man studied Percy for a brief moment and sighed. Percy watched as he pulled a key card from his pocket. "You know the drill Mr. Underwood."

Without another word Grover snatched the card from the guy at the counter and began dragging Percy to one of the elevators. Familiar shouting erupted into the lobby, sure enough the two cops entered the building with their guns drawn. Percy's heart nearly exploded into his chest. Slate shot a few bullets at them, the two teens ducked with everyone else. Frantic people charged out of the elevator.

"Our lucky break." Grover cheered as he clutched the front of Percy's shirt tightly. "Get in."

As weak as he was, it wasn't all that hard for the smaller teen to shove him into the elevator. Percy tripped and slammed his head into the back wall, but that seemed like a small matter at the moment. It probably wasn't the most severe of all his injuries. Grover was quick to scramble in with him. His pale finger jammed onto the button to close the door.

Percy's head spun as the men came into view ten feet from the elevator door. Their faces seemed to be even more sinister when they spotted him. With eager grins they began to charge. Hoping his death would be quick Percy closed his eyes and waited for his doom.

**Thuuuunnnngg!**

When Percy opened his eyes he was so relieved he could have cried. Grover had gotten the doors closed in time. Said person sighed heavily and inserted the card into an oddly placed slot on the elevator panel, a button appeared and he pressed it. Percy was too exhausted to question it as he wedged himself into a corner of the small space. His arm felt warm, he knew that the bleeding had started again, but he didn't really care at that moment, all he wanted to do was sleep.

The softly playing elevator music wasn't helping him any.

Grover's brown eyes scanned him. "You look like crap man."

"Really? I thought I was runway ready." Percy closed his eyes, he regretted snapping at his old friend. The hurt on Grover's face told him he needed to be more tactful. "Sorry, I've just been through a lot in the last twenty four hours."

"I bet." the other teen agreed and also sat down in the elevator. "I can see how miserable you are. Mind if I ask what happened?"

"Too much." Percy eyed his hands as they shook. He was so confused. "But how about you tell me first. What's going on? What were those things? And what did you mean when you told that guy 'you know what he is'?"

Grover began chewing on his coat sleeve. Percy couldn't help but smile, his friend was still the same as he remembered. The familiarity was a warm welcome. Compared to everything that he's been through Grover cannibalizing his shirt was the most normal thing he's seen in the past two days.

"Percy, did your mom ever tell you that you are special?" Grover inquired around the fabric in his mouth.

Percy scoffed, "What parent doesn't tell their kid that?"

"You're different." He continued, clearly he was exasperated by Percy's sarcastic nature. "Remember the demigods from...Mr. Brunner's myths? Well, they're real."

In reality Percy's mom had already told him this. She told him that his father was the sea god, the woman in the water had confirmed his mother's statement. He was still trying to convince himself that he had probably just gone crazy with grief, but everything he had experienced since his mom's death told him otherwise.

"I know." Percy whispered dryly. "I wish they weren't, but everything my mom told me has only been confirmed by those monsters."

Percy could feel his arm becoming sticky with the fresh blood that was coating it. His head spun and he knew he couldn't stay conscious much longer. In an attempt to stem the blood flow, Percy lifted his heavy hand to his arm and tried to apply pressure. Grover seemed to notice the wound for the first time as well and he winced. The smaller teen pulled a hanker chief out of his pocket.

"Dude. What happened to your arm?" Percy winced as Grover replaced the soiled, makeshift band aid with the fresh hanker chief.

Through his teeth Percy hissed, "I was shot."

"By those monsters." Grover growled and tighten the red cloth around the demigod's arm. "I swear they are getting more desperate."

"It wasn't them." Percy winced as he remembered the sound of the first shot going off. "It was a different kind of monster."

Grover's brown eyes studied Percy's face. It seemed as if he already knew all of the pain and confusion the fourteen year old felt. Percy knew that if Grover tried to pry anymore, he might not be able remain as calm as he had been. He could already feel his heart beating more rapidly and his lungs working in over time.

"Percy." Grover began and leaned forward. "What happened to your mom? Does she know you ran away."

"I didn't run away." the dark haired teen muttered as he curled tighter into his corner. "I...I...my mom is..."

Grover's face became unemotional, "Don't tell me. She turned on you, didn't she? MAN! I can't stand when the mortal parents blame their children for their problems. Don't worry Percy, you're not the only demigod whose parent has turned on them. What did she do to you?"

"She died." Percy whispered so softly he almost didn't think Grover heard him. The gasp in surprise told him otherwise.

"I'm so sorry, I...I didn't know."

If Percy tried to assure him that it was okay he would have started crying. He couldn't get the image of the life leaving his mother's eyes out of his mind. Percy wanted to forget everything that had happened. The teen knew that eventually Gabe would snap and go too far one day, but he hadn't been prepared for the cataclysmic results. He hadn't been prepared to become an orphan.

Grover wrung his hands together, "D...do you want to talk about it?"

Percy tucked his face into his knees which still held the faint sent of his step-father's spilt beer. "No."

The fourteen year old didn't know where the elevator was taking them. He still was trying to figure out how the Empire State building could have six hundred floors and no one notice it. Percy figured it was better not to question where their destination was. The elevator ride was better than the alternative.

"So..." Grover spoke softly, breaking the silence. "Other than the last twenty four hours, how have you been?"

"Got kicked out of a few more schools since Yancy." Percy chuckled ruefully as he felt darkness closing in. "Nothing completely new."

"You don't look so good. I'll have Chiron heal you." The scrawny teen assured him. Percy felt his heart stop. _Chiron_! That was exactly who he was looking for! The teen tried to get onto his feet but the dizziness sent him falling backwards into the wall. "Woe, relax. He's been healing people for a _long_, long time. Plus we have many other healers who are just as confident."

"He..he." Percy felt his eyes roll back into his head as the blackness over took him.

**And the plot thickens. I hope you like this story so far.**


	4. Waking Up

**I had a lot of this chapter typed up before but my computer decided, 'Ha, Ha, no! Rewrite it!' It crapped out before I could save the chapter. But I still persisted. In the chapters to come you will meet a lot of familiar characters, I won't say who but I am pretty excited with how my idea is going to go. **

**I've been thinking of writing some_ Generator Rex_ fan fictions. I forgot how good the show was until I started watching it on _Netflix_. I miss the old days...:'( When there was a villain and a good guy and so many complicated plot twist you just had to watch the next episode of your favorite show.**

**I do not own Percy Jackson all rights belong to Rick Riordan.**

When Percy finally woke up he felt as if someone was pounding a hammer onto his head. He wondered how long he had been out for. The covers that he was under felt like led sheets because they were so heavy. Cozy, but very heavy. The demigod groaned and tried to shift on the soft mattress.

"I think he's finally waking up." He heard a girl say and a cold, damp rag was placed on his forehead.

"Good." A familiar deep voice spoke up. "Oh why didn't I see it? Both Grover and I we had strong suspicions, but after the school year we ignored it searching for that blasted master bolt."

Percy struggled to put a face to the voice. It was so familiar, yet he didn't have a clue who it belonged to. His head hurt with the effort of trying to remember. A groan passed through his lips as he tried to reach up for his forehead. A small, gentle hand grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

"Can you open your eyes for me?" the girl asked.

The young demigod tried to, but it felt as if his eyelids were taped shut. He was so frustrated with this never ending exhaustion that seemed to hold him. Percy began to try and pull himself from under the covers, the girl however wasn't having any of that. She pushed him back down onto the bed. He felt her grab his injured arm and flinched away.

"Sorry." She apologized. "But I asked you to open your eyes not try to sit up. It is very unwise to move when you can't even open your eyes."

He felt the rag being removed from his forehead and then run over his eyes. The cool water seemed to help him relax. Well until he could feel the girl wiping his mouth.

"What are you..?" He croaked. The girl laughed gently and Percy relax slightly.

"You were drooling before you woke up." she told him.

If he could have seen her face Percy probably would have been blushing. How embarrassing, a girl around his age has been watching him while he slept and he does something like that. The rag caressing his cheek cooled some of his flushing skin. She didn't seem too disgusted by his habit. Maybe he didn't scare her away.

The man cleared his throat. "Can you do as Annabeth asked?"

"Your name is Annabeth?" Percy inquired and ignored the man.

Annabeth laughed. "He definitely gets off topic easily. Yeah my name is Annabeth. Now open your eyes."

With effort Percy was able to open his eyes. The world assaulted him in an array of bright lights. He winced away and shut his eyes. How long had he been asleep? He could hear the sound of hooves hitting the ground followed by the click of a light switch. Percy tried again to see the world.

The room was more bearable to look at. Even in the dim light he could still make out green shrines on the wall with a titrant embroider into them. Gold accents spiraled elegantly against the cream colored walls. A water fountain gurgled contently in the center of the room, along with many statues of various gods and goddesses, and Percy found that there were numerous large fish tanks pressed up against the walls. Although the fish were acting strange, bumping into each other trying to look at him. This had to be the strangest room he'd had ever seen.

Shaking his head Percy looked above himself.

Leaning over him was a girl with curly blond hair and pretty grey eyes. Her skin was tan like one of those California girls he had seen on some magazines. He felt self-conscious as she looked at him. It was almost as if she could see right through him. This must have been Annabeth. She was pretty, he could admit that, probably the most beautiful thing he's seen in the past few days.

Annabeth smiled at him, "There you are."

"I...um...hi." Percy stammered almost nervously. "How long have I been out?"

"A few days." The man spoke up.

When Percy looked at him he was shocked it was _Mr. Brunner_ and he was _standing_. Percy wondered how that was even possible. He blinked a few times to assure himself he wasn't mistaken. The teen couldn't believe it, he hadn't seen his teacher since he was expelled from Yancy for shoving Nancy Bobfits when she pushed Grover over. He almost thought the old teacher wouldn't have wanted to ever see him.

"Mr. Brunner?" the demigod rasped. "How? Where am I?"

"Olympus." his former teacher told him. "The home of the gods."

Percy suddenly broke out laughing. He found his whole situation hilarious, the gods couldn't have been bothered to save his mother, but they were more than happy to open up their home to him. Percy had been through too much to just listen to what his teacher had to say. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and sat up. Annabeth grabbed his shoulders to hold him steady and looked at Mr. Brunner. Percy studied his old teacher and for the first time noticed that he didn't have human legs.

He had a horses back end.

"I've really lost it." The demigod stopped laughing. "So what are you?"

"I am a centaur." Mr. Brunner told him. "_Mr._ _Brunner_ is just an alias. My true name is Chiron."

"You're him?" Percy asked. "You're the guy I was told to go looking for."

Annabeth looked at him. "Who told you to go looking for Chiron?"

"No one." He muttered. "Can I go?"

'Chiron' shifted on his hooves, "You are safer here, on Olympus child."

Percy shook his head, "No can I _go?_ Is there a bathroom here?"

"Yes." Mr...Chiron nodded. "I'll lead you."

Percy looked at the blond who stood off to the side dipping the rag into the basin of water. He figured he had a better chance of getting her to answer his questions than the centaur.

"Can she take me?" Percy asked and pointed to the girl.

Annabeth blushed fiercely at his request. He felt rude for declining Chiron in favor of the blond, but he had a feeling Annabeth would be willing to answer at least some of his questions. Chiron looked slightly surprised and agreed after giving Annabeth a lot of boring instructions on how to make sure Percy didn't pass out again. Annabeth helped him hobble out of the room with her arm wrapped around his back and one hand clutching his elbow. She refused to look at him as they walked.

He could smell the sent of lemons coming from her hair and her hands were warm.

**Sorry that this is a short chapter I will try to update soon. I will try to update Calypso's second chance as well. Also I was wondering how many of you miss the shows with actual plot lines to their stories. I mean the new shows on television channels like _Cartoon network_ are okay, but how many of you miss shows like _Ben Ten: The original series, Alien Force, and Ultimate Alien (I guess the newer series was pretty good as it went on, but the animation isn't my favorite), Secrete Saturdays, Generator Rex, and the ORIGIONAL Teen Titians?_ **


	5. Questions

**I really like how this chapter it was going. There is a lot of explanations in this chapter. It may be slower, but I promise that I will pick it up soon. If you guys can give me some future ideas and I might incorporate them into the story. Some stuff would include his future quest and other drama that may occur.**

**I will try to up date this story and Calypso's Second Chance soon.**

**Disclaimer I do not own Percy Jackson, all rights belong to Rick Riordan**

Percy was silent as they walked. What could he ask this girl? He knew she was probably more willing to inform him on what he wanted to know than Mr. Bru- Chiron, but what could he ask her about? Annabeth was walking so close to him as if to catch him if he fell.

Her hair was lemon scented and pulled back into a pony-tail. She was wearing an orange shirt that's words had long since faded and around her neck were many colorful beads and a ring stringed onto a leather band. He tried to see what the beads had on them, but Annabeth would move in a way that he could never really get a good look at them. Percy wondered if she was a demigod like he was, he wanted to know who her mother or father was.

Though he could never find the words to say, Percy still found himself distracted with how beautiful everything was on Olympus. It seemed to be made completely out of marble; every so often they'd pass rugs on the floor or half-naked statues of a god or goddess, but he tried to avoid looking at those for too long. Everything in the palace like place seemed to be illuminated, however Percy had yet to find any possible way it could have been.

There were no light fixtures.

They passed other kids as they walked, many seemed to be watching them and then they'd begin whispering amongst themselves. Percy tried to ignore his annoyance, he knew they were talking about him. After moving to so many different schools throughout his life, Percy was sick of being the new kid. Many of the kids that passed them looked a lot alike to someone else in the room. Almost as if they were all siblings.

"There has to be a reason why you asked for me instead of Chiron." Annabeth questioned him quietly, ignoring the whispers hissing around them.

"Maybe I'm not use to the whole, 'half-horse' thing yet and wanted someone who looked normal." Percy pointed out.

Annabeth's lip twitched slightly, "That is very racist you know. And Chiron had such good things to say about you. Tell me the truth."

Percy wanted to get out of the peering eyes of all of the other kids around them. He didn't like feeling like someone was looking over his shoulder or feeling as if someone was waiting to grab him. Annabeth stopped walking almost as if she sensed his desire and pulled him into a secluded space where all of the others seemed to pass by. It had a large gold colored loveseat in the center and some potted ferns planted around it. Large red drapes were hung about the room even though there were no windows.

Annabeth sat him down on the love seat and stood in front of him. Her grey eyes were full of such an intense scrutiny that he almost crouched down, but Percy wasn't about to show any weakness, especially with someone he just met. The blond haired teen didn't move to sit next to him, but instead remained towering above him as he sat. If anyone in the world could make a person feel small, it was this girl and her intense, but pretty grey eyes.

"Talk." She ordered. When he didn't say anything Annabeth huffed loudly and turned on her heel. Percy panicked,

"Wait!"

He stood up too quickly, the world around him was spinning. The only thing that was keeping him from keeling over was the sharp pain in his arm reminding him that he was injured. Annabeth turned back to him, concern crossed her features as she rushed back to steady him and help him back onto the love seat. He was grateful that she had come back to help him. She ran her fingers through his hair as if trying to sooth him, but he couldn't tell if she was conscious of her actions or not.

A voice stopped him before he could speak up, "Is everything okay in here Annabeth?"

Percy could see a tall, buff blond dude standing in the entrance to their little hideaway. The guy had short blond hair and piercing blue eyes, he wore a purple shirt with faded gold lettering, on one of his arms he had a tattoo that was in Latin (Percy couldn't make out what it was because the boy quickly turned his arm away), despite the boy's otherwise perfect appearance Percy could see a small scar above his lip. Annabeth didn't turn around as she spoke,

"Can you bring some ambrosia and maybe some juice or something sweet for him Jason?"

Jason gave a quick 'yeah' and headed off without another word. Percy wondered if this Jason guy and Annabeth were dating. He quickly shooed thoughts like that out of his mind. It was none of his business, right? Why should he care? He just met the girl after all.

Annabeth sat next to him on the loveseat, "Now tell me, without getting worked up, what you want to know."

"Are you like me?" He asked. "A Half-blood?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "All of the kids here are. We all have godly blood of some kind."

_'Of _some_ kind?' _He wondered. Was she saying that not everyone here had an equal amount of godly blood in them? Percy tried to wrap his mind around it. He must have missed seeing the _really_ godly kids. Annabeth wasn't making sense, but the soothing tone she used didn't seem make him want to stop her.

"Some of the kids, the people here are what the Romans refer to as _'Legacies'_." Annabeth continued. "Children of the god's children."

"Wait, I thought everyone here was Greek. Greek gods, Greek palace, Greek." Percy pointed out rather childishly.

"We thought so too." Annabeth admitted. "It's just somethings happened and both camps were thrown together. The bad guys got strong and took away our homes. We all decided to take refuge here in Olympus, sometimes cultural differences cause us to fight, but we largely get along."

"What god is your parent?" Percy asked.

Annabeth looked at him with a sharp eye. "My _mom_ is a _goddess, _a woman. Not all of the children here have a mortal mother."

"Then who's your mom." He persisted innocently.

"Athena." the girl's grey eyes gleamed with pride. "Goddess of wisdom and battle strategy."

Percy smirked, "Naturally."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. I figured you were very smart." He admitted.

"Anything else you want to know?" Annabeth asked, her face was slightly red from blushing.

Percy looked at the people who obliviously walked passed them. He wanted to see Poseidon and demand to know why he hadn't protected him and his mom from Gabe. Did Percy and his mom mean that little to him? Percy didn't know if he'd even get to _see_ his father. Do the gods even belittle themselves enough to meet their children?

"I know I might be sounding like a little kid on a _Safari _trip," Percy began as he looked at his knees, realizing he was still in the clothes he had been wearing the day he arrived at the Empire State building. "but do we ever get to _see_ them, our parents?"

"They are out taking care of their domains, but they should be back in a few days." Annabeth looked to the distance, "It wasn't like this before, our parents visit us regularly now, but before Kronos and his men took over we Greek demigods lived at one camp and the Romans at another. We had nearly no contact with the gods, our only one was the oracle, but she hadn't spoken a prophecy since-... Well anyway, after losing our camp, Camp Half-Blood and the Romans losing Camp Jupiter, the gods took us in to protect us from Kronos."

"Just like that?"

"No." Annabeth shook her head. "It took a lot of begging and pleading on a lot of the gods and goddesses with children, and even some mortal parents, parts to get Zeus to agree. He is stubborn, even if his Roman son was one of the many in danger."

"His Roman son?" Percy inquired.

"You just met him, Jason." the daughter of Athena pointed out. "One of the only living demigods of the big three. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades."

Percy felt his heart stop when she said his father's name. He was one of the big three's children, Percy didn't really know the significance of it, but he was sure it was a great power. Part of him felt bad that he would be taking the spot light from Jason once his true identity was discovered. Percy wanted to ask her more about Poseidon, he only knew so much from those brief stories his mom always told him. Throughout his childhood Percy grew up believing his father was a great man.

He had been positive that he'd seen his father, at least once, a brief, loving smile.

The memory made Percy's anger towards the sea god waver. It was kind of hard to blame a man he had grown up believing to be so good, for everything in his life that had gone bad. Percy didn't want to ask her about his dad, he wanted to meet Poseidon in person, ask him so many different things, but for now he was unable.

"Camp Half-Blood. What was it like?" Percy drew on. He looked at Annabeth as her face became wistful, almost as if she were bathing in the light of the suns rays.

"It was beautiful." She began. "The safest place for people like you and me. There were training arenas, tennis and basketball courts, a beach (Percy felt himself sit up at the thought of a beach), a forest where we could train, and every Friday we'd play Capture the Flag. I wish you could have seen it."

"It sounds cool." He agreed.

"Hey Annabeth I got what you wanted." The Jason guy called as he walked into the room with a amber colored square and a glass of orange juice. He handed it to her. "Here."

Annabeth took it. "Thank you, Jason."

Jason glanced at Percy smiled and then walked out of the room. He seemed like a nice guy. Percy was about to say something to Annabeth, but she just shoved the sweet square into his mouth. A burst of warm energy flooded into his body, he could taste how sweet the candy like object was. It could easily be the most addictive substance in the world.

"This is Ambrosia, the food of the gods." Annabeth told him as he chewed on it. " We can eat only so much before we burn up, but it helps us to heal. Do you like it?"

Percy nodded as she handed him the orange juice. He slurped it down quickly and soon after he began to feel sleepy. Annabeth must have noticed it as well.

"We should get you back the room." She said as she reached out for him. "You look tired."

Percy grabbed her hand and stood with her. A blush grew onto his cheek, "Actually, I really have to go to the bathroom."

"Of course you do." She laughed and led him out of the room.

**I hope you liked it! I'll try to put some more intensity into it as soon as possible. I tried to Lighten the mood a little bit, and you are seeing more of a Percy/Annabeth friendship or Percabeth moment whatever you decide, but I promise, Percabeth will come in later! **


	6. Meeting New People

**Hey guys, I finally have gotten around to updating my neglected story. Sorry it took so long. I'll try to update more frequently! I'm bringing in more familiar faces, I hope you enjoy! I've made this chapter pretty long!**

**Disclaimer, I do not own Percy Jackson all rights belong to Rick Riordan**

Percy woke up hours after Annabeth had gotten him back to his room. He was surrounded in darkness. The demigod wondered if he slept through the rest of the day. Or had it been night when he was last awake? He wasn't sure of anything other than the fact he was finally wide awake.

He tried to force himself back to sleep, but after lying still for so long the young teens ADHD started prickling just beneath his skin like little needles. He needed to move, do something other than nothing. Slowly he eased himself from under the silky blankets. When his bare feet touched the cool marble floor he shivered. Percy didn't know where his shoes or socks were, so he decided to walk around without them.

The hallway was a ghost zone compared to when he had been awake last. It only confirmed his suspicion that it was now night. Percy couldn't help but wonder where all of the other kids had gone. He didn't remember seeing any rooms or doors for that matter. Other than the quick trip the bathroom Percy hadn't been anywhere beyond the hallway. There had to be an exit, right? Or maybe doorway to a kitchen?

Percy's stomach growled at the idea.

The teen regretted falling asleep as soon as Annabeth had helped him back into his bed. He could faintly remember the endeared smile on Annabeth's face as she tucked the blanket up to his chin. Percy blushed when he remembered that he hadn't minded at all how much she coddled him. It was like she had two sides; one a fierce force to be reckoned with, and the other, a soft gentle hand to wipe away any worry or fever. Percy shook his head before he let his thoughts dig any deeper than that.

He was starving. It felt as if he hadn't eaten any thing in weeks, the poor teen was sure his stomach was in the process of digesting its self. Percy tried to ignore it as he walked down the now eerie and dim hallway. The lights from earlier had been all but snuffed out. Statues seemed to loom over him like tall guardians and he could faintly hear the comforting gurgling sounds coming from the fountains around him.

"Looks like we've found another late niter like us, Travis." A voice came from the shadows, but Percy couldn't make out who was out there. He could only see two lumpy shapes.

A second voice that was similar to the first chimed in, "Isn't that the new kid? The one Annie told us to not bother, what do you think brother Connor?"

Two identical teenage boys walked from the darkness in the a similar fashion to villains from a kid's cartoon. Honestly Percy had to bite back a laugh because he found the whole thing humorous. Especially considering that they hardly looked like a physical threat. He had seen bullies before and he doubted that these two were one of any kind. Though he was sure that if he had a wallet he would want to keep one hand on it and an eye on them.

Even though they both looked almost exactly the same, Percy would be able to tell them apart if he knew who was named what. Both had the same brown hair and blue eyes. Percy couldn't help but think they looked kind of impish despite their height. The twins came up to him, each slinging one of their thin arms over his shoulders. Percy refrained from wincing when one accidentally bumped his wound.

"Hello." The taller one on his left smiled. "I'm Travis, and that ugly guy to your right is Connor."

Connor pouted at the insult, but said nothing. Percy blinked, "You just called your _twin_ brother 'ugly'."

"And?" Travis asked as if he hadn't just insulted himself too. "Anyway kid, we're the Stoll brothers."

"Stoll?" The darker haired teen asked.

Connor nodded, "Yeah, has Annie told you to avoid us yet."

"Annabeth?" Percy didn't think she had said anything about them, but he could tell these two were the pranksters. He had seen enough of them in every school. "Not yet. I haven't seen her since I fell asleep."

The two looked disappointed at first and then just as suddenly began to smile as if they had won the jackpot. Percy yelped as they seized him by the arms and whisked him farther away from his room. He didn't know what they were planning, but he was too weak to protest as they carried him along. It was almost like he weighed nothing to them. Percy began to wonder if they decided he was their next prank victim.

"Uh, guys?" Percy began as he tried to slow their relay with his bare feet. No such luck on marble.

A nerves feeling tugged at Percy's gut. He could hear some of the fountains and other structures with water start to tremble. The son of Poseidon realized that he was unwittingly calling on his powers over water. If he didn't get control back he'd expose who he was too soon. And then he wouldn't be able to see if his father would claim him. The only way Percy would know his father actually cared is if he claimed him.

_Calm down Jackson,_ Percy scolded himself. The teen closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the pull in his gut. How would he be able to stop it when he didn't even know how it started? _Soothing thoughts,_ A voice told him, _you're too wound up, think about a calming memory. Subdue the raging ocean within you_. Percy tried to remember the last time he was calm. His thought immediately went to him spending time with his mom.

He focused on the memory of him and her baking three batches of her blue chocolate chip cookies when he was a little kid. Percy was so close, almost like he could reach out and yank a steaming blue morsel from the plate. He could almost feel her running her flower covered hand through his hair and telling him that anything was possible. Making sure he knew how special he was to her. Percy felt a tear fall as the memory slipped from his grasp.

The tug in his stomach was gone and he was sure that neither of the boys noticed anything.

"Where are we going?" Percy finally asked, the twins had dragged him around yet another corner and showed no sign of slowing down.

"You'll like it..."

"Trust us..."

Having no other choice, the green eyed teen slumped in their grip, he let them drag him to the unknown. Percy could feel his thoughts wondering to his hunger. Remembering his mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies wasn't the best idea. He knew what it was like to go without food for a night or two, sometimes Gabe decided that his hunger was more important than Percy or his mom eating, yet he couldn't even begin to describe the starvation he felt. Travis and Connor were both whispering to each other, but Percy couldn't bring himself to pay attention to what they were saying. He hardly noticed when they finally came to a stop.

"Hey newbie." Travis smirked. "We're here."

Percy saw a large dining hall in front of him. There were wooden bowls stacked with various fruits and other healthy treats. There were so many tables set up in long rows that Percy felt as if he were in the _Hogwarts _dining room from the movies, though the floating candles were gone, Percy did read the books when his mom gave them to him and liked them, but his dyslexia had made it a slow and painful process. The magical lights that seemed to fill the whole palace lit to a dim glow, making all of the bronze plates that lined the tables glow gold. Each table had a name engraved on the end, it looked like they were in different languages so Percy felt as if he would have no hope of reading them, but suddenly he could read them. The words were either in Greek or Latin either way he was able to tell that each of them were the name of a god.

"Wait guys!" Percy called after the twins and followed them to the other end of the room. "What are we doing in here?"

"Late night snacking." They called back in unison.

Percy caught up to the two of them, "Won't we get in trouble for sneaking around at night?"

"You're with the Stoll brothers," Connor smirked, "Expert sons of Hermes."

'Hermes' Percy thought hard to remember what he was the god of. Messing, writing, medicine, and...thieves! The two other teens with him were thieving sons of Hermes with the last name...oh that was too funny. Percy tried not to laugh, but he was failing terribly. They were the sons of the god of thieves and they had the last name Stoll! The twins looked at him as if he were the strangest person on the planet.

"He's probably crazy from hunger." Travis suggested. "You get him to shut up and I'll grab the snacks."

"I'm sorry," Percy chuckled. "It's just you're the sons of Hermes and your last name is Stoll."

"Yeah, so?" Travis asked, not getting what Percy was saying.

"Never mind." Even if they didn't understand the irony, Percy felt more at ease in that moment then he had felt in a long time.

The three teens went to work pillaging anything they could get their hands on. Fruit, chips, chocolate, you name it and they were magically pulling it out of cabinets and off of the tables. Connor explained that whatever food they thought of would magically appear onto the plates (they had an inside source who kept their night raids a secrete). Once their arms were fully stocked with goodies, the boys made their get away into the night. Though Percy knew his mom would disapprove of stealing, he didn't feel it was too heinous of a crime when the food supply was never ending.

It didn't take long for the twins to lead them to where they usually consumed their spoils. It was a bridge that was just outside of the palace. Percy had been amazed to see an exit. The bridge lead from Olympus to another small floating island where the twins said the elevator to the Empire State building was. It was the only safe way off of the large temple. The second way, well, Percy didn't think there would be anything left of him to go 'splat' on the concrete. The three of them sat with their feet dangling over the edge of the bridge, once Percy had gotten over his vertigo, he actually was enjoying himself.

"Man, maybe you are a son of Hermes." Travis smiled.

"It'd be great to have you as our brother!" Connor agreed and took a bite out of an apple.

Percy looked down at the bag of salt n' vinegar chips he held in his hands, "Yeah, it would."

He really did like the idea of being their brother, but he knew full well it was not ever going to be true. Percy was the son of the sea god. He already knew he didn't have any siblings, it was just him. Apparently, it was very rare for his dad or Zeus and Hades to have children for some reason. He never really thought to ask Annabeth why.

"I see you're up late." A familiar voice spoke. Percy was so glad that he didn't end up falling over the edge when he jumped. "Didn't Annabeth tell you two to stay away from the new kid?"

Percy looked at the speaker, it was Jason. His blonde hair was messy, blue eyes full of exhaustion, and he wore pajamas. Despite all of that, he didn't appear to be angry with them. Jason even went so far as to sit down next to Percy after snatching a snack from Connor.

"We got hungry, and we found him wandering the halls and figured he was hungry too." Connor protested and then set his hand on Percy's shoulder as if laying claim. "We call him, he's our new adopted brother."

'When did I get adopted?' Percy wondered.

Jason gave a smirk, the scar on his lip stretched, "Did you even bother to learn the name of your 'newly adopted brother'?"

"Crap." Travis began, Connor looked horrified, "He's right. New kid what's your name?"

"Percy Jackson."

"Wow!" They both smirked. "Hey Jason, you might have a brother here. He has the same name as your other brother."

"I doubt there is another living demigod like me." Jason sounded both rueful and proud, but Percy knew that Jason's bubble would be popped soon.

"Why do you think that?" Percy asked, entertaining the idea he wasn't a child of one of the big three.

"Because of the pact made years ago after World War two. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades agreed to never have any more children again, my dad slipped up twice, but I'm Roman, so it doesn't matter as much."

"Twice?"

Jason's face turned bitter and sad all at once, "I had an older sister, she and I had both the same mother and father. She was Greek though and because of the pact Hades hunted her down until she was slaughtered at Half-blood hill protecting her friends. Dad turned her into a pine tree just as she was dying. I don't remember much about her, Hera took me away when I was a baby and sent me to the Roman camp where I belonged."

"Basically any child of the big three shouldn't exist?" Percy's mouth went dry just saying that.

He wasn't supposed to be alive? All of the hunger he had felt was now replaced by an icy pit in his stomach. He wasn't a son of Zeus, would he be given as much leniency as Jason had gotten? Maybe he wasn't safe on Olympus after all, people wanted to kill him where ever he went.

"What are you boys doing up so late?"

A new person had come onto the bridge. It was a girl, a _very_ pretty girl. She was so pretty that Percy couldn't help but gawk at her. Everything about her was perfect, perfect makeup, perfect hair, perfect smile. Her hair was dark brown and it stopped at her elbow, she had beautiful multicolored eyes, and she looked so kind as her eyes rested on him. Percy wanted to look away, but he couldn't.

"You must be Percy, Annabeth told me you were cute, but she didn't say you were _this_ cute." Annabeth thought he was cute? Percy tried to ignore the fact that he secretly liked the idea. The pretty girl spoke again, "I'm Selena, daughter of Aphrodite."

"Hey Selena..." Travis smirked. "Am I cute?"

"With Katie." Selena began. "Why don't you ask that girl out already?"

Travis blushed and looked away from Selena as she smirked triumphantly. Percy wondered if 'Katie' was a crush of Travis, but decided not to ask while said boy was so close. Selena grabbed Percy's hand and brought him to his feet.

"I think it's time all of you boys went back to bed." As she spoke, Percy could feel a strange urge to do as she wanted wash over him. "Come on Percy, I'll take you back to your room."

The son of Poseidon didn't protest as the girl lead him away from the other teens, through the hallway and back towards the room where he had been before. He let himself sink gratefully back into the covers as Selena fussed over his messy hair and made sure he didn't have a fever from being up and around.

"You know there are easier ways to get Annie to spend more time with you than getting sick." Selena teased. Percy wanted to tell her he wasn't trying to spend more time with Annabeth, but felt like it'd come out wrong. "I'll bring you some nice clothes tomorrow, you may look hot all messy, but I think you'd be cuter all cleaned up."

Percy could feel the strange force from earlier trying to coax him to sleep. He tried to fight it, but eventually he fell back to sleep.

**If it was slow I'm sorry, but I will slowly bring up intensity as I go. Please review and keep reading!**


	7. The Theif and The Monsters

**Hey guys, I'm sorry that I haven't been updating this story as frequently as I would like, but I'll try. I've been very busy, I will try to update often. Now this chapter has three different P.O.V's, but I made sure to keep them all clear. I'll try not to do this too often, but none of these segments were long enough for me to even consider them a chapter. Percy is mentioned in this chapter, but you will meet or re-meet characters. And find out a bit of what happened to Dutch, but I don't think I'm going to be done with him _just_ yet. Please don't hate this chapter. The next one is going to go strait back to Percy, but this is going to help me progress the story along and help connect with other ideas I have for the story. It will give you a little more detail about what is happening off of Olympus and I think I'll even do a chapter from Paul's POV.**

**Disclaimer, I do not own Percy Jackson, all rights belong to Rick Riordan.**

If Dutch had known robbing the kid was going to be as easy as it was, he would have done it sooner. He smiled cruelly, showing off the cavity filled remains of his rotten teeth. On top of getting new clothes and a new toothbrush, Dutch had also acquired more money then he had seen in years. After pulling the money out of the bag, the man had bought himself a hamburger at one of the local street vendors. Maybe he should have felt bad for robbing the kid blind, but his hunger outweighed his empathy.

"Kid was probably a runaway." He decided aloud and took a rather large bite out of his meal.

Despite the cold that bombarded him through his coat Dutch was grateful to have warm food on his stomach. It had been many days since he had taken the kid's bag, but he made sure to spend the money wisely. He smiled as he finished off the last of his burger and then Dutch began to rifle through the bag for a jacket or a long sleeve shirt. When his fingers ran along a smooth surface he winced. The kid's picture.

What kind of runaway took a family photo with him? Dutch carefully pushed the frame aside, he felt like the image was too personal for his prying eyes. When he finally found one of the boy's hoddies he pulled it out and began to slip it on over his jacket. Immediately he could feel the cold recede from his skin.

"That smell." A voice muttered.

At first Dutch didn't find the observation too odd, many people remarked about the stench that came from the allies so it didn't bother him too much. But then he realized that the voice hadn't come from the street, it came from farther into the ally. His heart pounded rapidly in his chest. Dutch knew that he was an easy target for anybody to just steal the clothing off of his back. The man was a coward, that was why he stole from an injured kid rather than try to pick-pocket a better off stranger. He quickly zipped the bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Who's there?" Dutch tried to sound braver than he was.

A large shadow started to peeled from the wall of darkness. It lumbered closer and closer to him, its large feet hit the ground as if it weighed nearly as much as a baby elephant, Dutch's lower jaw trembled as the figures large form seemed to over take his considerably smaller one. The ground shook a little with each step it took. Dutch could smell dirt and sweat and peanut butter as it neared him. A large bear-like paw reached out towards the cowardly man.

"Why do you smell like him?" It demanded. Dutch's heart was almost tearing its way through his chest.

"Who?" He asked and took a half a step back. "Who are you talking about?"

The figure didn't say anymore as it nearly ripped his arm off when it yanked the bag from him. Did it know the boy? He heard it take in a deep whiff of the sent coming from the bag. Was the freak able to smell the kid? Dutch's head hurt just thinking about it, he sure didn't want to stick around to find out. After sheading the jacket Dutch jumped to his feet and rushed from the ally screaming like a maniac. He so wasn't about to get killed for a bunch of stolen junk.

* * *

Tyson studied everything about the old bag. It smelled like him, his friend, the only kid in school who hadn't made fun of him for not understanding things or his obsession with peanut butter sandwiches. Percy Jackson. Just being around the dark haired boy always seemed to cheer Tyson up, Percy smelled just like daddy when his sent wasn't overwhelmed by the stinky smell of beer and Percy's step-father. That mean man hurt Percy and his mom all of the time. Without even realizing he said anything, Percy had told him it had gotten worse when his mom stopped sending him to boarding school, they didn't have enough of that green paper to pay for it.

If there was one thing Tyson did know, it was that people wouldn't give you food if you didn't have the green paper. Everyone was mean to him, except for Percy who always packed a secrete lunch for Tyson when the mean man wasn't watching. His friend had gotten caught a few times and came to school with no lunch and a black eye, but even then Percy always tried to make the best of things for Tyson's sake, despite the fact that Matt Sloan was bullying the two of them to no end. When Percy got expelled things only got worse for Tyson, all of the kids teased him since Percy wasn't around to threaten them away or tell them it's wrong to pick on him. Eventually Tyson excused himself from the school, forever.

He missed Percy.

_"You're such a retard and a freak, no wonder Jackson abandon you."_ Matt's voice echoed in his ear. _"Too bad he didn't decide that sooner, he and I could have been friends."_

"Percy didn't abandon me..." Tyson whispered and clutched the bag tighter to his chest. "And I'm not...whatever that word means."

The young Cyclops didn't know why that stinky man had Percy's bag, but he was sure he was going to return it to his friend. A spark of giddiness hit him, he'd get to see his friend again. He liked it when he got to see Percy again, Percy reminded him of daddy. It had to be a sign from his father, Percy was nearby, he could see his friend and they'd eat peanut butter sandwiches together. Tyson let his eyes cast up to the dark sky above, he never saw stars in the city, but he knew that somewhere his daddy was watching out for him.

"Thank you daddy!" He called to the sky merrily, "I will find my friend!"

With his head held high, Tyson began to walk along the streets of New York, and followed the sent of his best friend, his only friend. Percy Jackson.

* * *

Slate walked through the camp that had once been filled to the brim with Greek half-bloods. Now, it was overflowing with monsters, titans, and a few rouge demigods who had joined their cause. Many of the cabins had been burned down after their takeover, Zeus's had been the first to go. When they had first taken over, the camp had been cheerful and full of life, but after occupying it for a few years the land seemed dull and grey, almost as if it were filled with smoke. The sun hadn't shined since the day they overcame the demigods. It had probably been the doing of the god of the sky.

Normally Slate would be on the streets scrounging around for another demigod to force into their ranks or feed to the troops, but after the big scene he made the day he tried to capture Percy Jackson, the boss wanted to talk to him. It wasn't a good thing when your 'employer' wanted to talk to you after a major fiasco that drew the attention of hundreds of people. You couldn't exactly explain why you pulled a gun on a kid in a room crowded with people. Slate had lied through his teeth and told them it was just a drill incase he did actually come into a situation like he had. Humans were gullible, most believed him.

Though the boy's English teacher had shown up and pestered him about the demigod.

As he neared the 'Big House', at least that's what the Greek demigods called it, Slate couldn't help but dread having to explain that he lost a powerful demigod while making a huge debacle. The 'Big House' was a very impressive looking building, you had a view of virtually the whole camp when you stood on its deck. It was only fitting that it would be the dwelling of the time lord, until he received a vessel. The boards creaked beneath his feet as Slate entered the building. All of the windows had been covered by thick blankets to keep as much outside light out as possible. Even though the room was nearly pitched in darkness, Slate could see faint outlines of furniture pushed against one wall, a ping pong table to the other, and in the back a softly glowing golden coffin.

"Slate." The voice almost seemed to rake against his brain. "I heard that you had caused a disturbance, at the feet of the gods no less."

Immediately, the monster got to his knees. "I am sorry master, my partner and I were chasing a demigod. He got away."

The silence in the room was defining. Slate sat patiently, waiting for his master to respond, would he yell or kill him? It felt as if the whole room was still and just as lonely as the camp that surrounded it. A cozy and cold place for the time lord to rest. Unless you looked at the bloody ping pong table and took in a whiff of the faint metallic scent that was engraved into every inch of the room. The table was often used for interrogations and torture, it was their tool for breaking willful demigods, though none knew it. Every child who gave up was sworn to keep their mouth shut, the others were taken to the pens with the satyrs' and the rest of their 'stock' to await their deaths.

Demigods weren't aloud in the 'Big House' for obvious reasons, except for the master's lap dog who spent most of his time doting over their ever sleeping guest who was locked up in the cluttered attic. If she awoke they didn't need the girl scampering off and out of their clutches. Not when she was possibly their key to victory. There was also the son of Jupiter, her brother, but Slate doubted there was much they could do to sway the hard headed Roman, especially not after they destroyed his precious camp. And then there was Percy Jackson, Slate remembered the rumors all those years ago about a child of Poseidon being sired.

Is it possible that Percy Jackson was the son of Poseidon.

"Why should this one demigod matter?" Kronos asked coolly.

"He's powerful, master." Slate explained quickly. "I haven't seen a demigod as powerful as him in centuries maybe even longer than that."

The time lord seemed to be considering what his subordinate said, "The boy, what is his name?"

"Percy Jackson, sir."

"Bring the boy to me." His master ordered immediately. "I wish for him to be on our side. If he is as powerful as you say then he could be the vessel I've been looking for."

Slate could feel himself growing more nervous, "All due respect, my lord, but I highly doubt they're going to let the boy off of Olympus anytime soon."

"I'm the master of time." Kronos laughed. "I am patient, but I think I'll visit this Percy Jackson in his dreams. Though it seems he is finding his way to me right now."

"He's here?" Slate blinked in confusion and turned to eye the front door.

"Not physically, I doubt he even realizes that he is summoning himself here." The master of time chuckled almost fondly. "He isn't going to remember any of this, despite the power you claim he has, the boy has a lot to learn about his abilities and how to control them."

"Sir?" The monster swallowed dryly. "Do you think he is the child from the rumors? Poseidon's kid?"

"Return to your post, Slate." Kronos dismissed him without answering the question. "Keep a look out for our little hero."

**You have just caught a glimpse of what's happening outside of Olympus :) I wanted to expand on the plot a little bit more, please tell me what you think! Do you feel bad for Tyson? What else should happen to Dutch? Am I doing a good job? Do you guys have any suggestions out there?**


	8. Cleaning Up

**Hey guys here's my next chapter! I hope you enjoy it. I've put some fluffy moments between Percy and Annabeth. I know this chapter is kid of slow, but I'll try to speed it up soon. In the last chapter Percy was accidently ease dropping on Kronos and Slate, but he doesn't remember because he doesn't have a real grasp on his powers yet. Please read and review.**

**Disclaimer I don't own Percy Jackson, all rights belong to Rick Riordan.**

Percy woke up the next morning, something was nagging at the back of his mind about his dream, but he couldn't really reach it. It was like grasping at air. Someone gasped as he started to shift in the bed, when he opened his eyes he saw Annabeth leaning over him with a damp rag in her hand and a blush on her cheeks. It confused him to see her face so close to his. He could tell that she wore little make-up, all of her beauty was natural, the outside of her eyes were a darker grey than the color in the center. Her eyelashes were long and dark, he was almost positive she didn't need any mascara. Percy tried not to blush when he realized that he was staring at her for so long.

"You were drooling." She stammered as she tried to explain. Annabeth moved away from him as if he was on fire. "I just wanted to clean it before you woke up."

Slowly the dark haired teen scooted into an up right position, "Uh, thanks."

Annabeth gave him a curt nod, her lips were drawn tightly together in a thin line, almost as if she didn't trust herself to speak. It was rather cute, in a completely observant way, not that he was paying too much attention to it. Percy still felt a little self conscious under her watchful gaze, she probably thought he was an idiot, he couldn't even make his way to the demigod safe haven without something hazardous nearly killing him and on top of that he was drooling every night. Percy swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stretched, trying to pretend that waking up with her so close to him hadn't at all flustered him, the muscles of his injured arm protested loudly. He winced and pulled it closer to his chest.

"Let me see it." Annabeth ordered as she grabbed his arm, her face was no longer tight with embarrassment. He watched her as she slowly unwrapped the bandage, her soft, curly blonde hair fell in front of her face, but she expertly tucked it behind her ear and continued to remove the gauze. "We need you in tip top condition if you are going to start training with me. Don't worry I'll go easy on you."

"Training?" Percy asked. "Training for what?"

She laughed fondly as she set the soiled bandage aside and reached for a new one off of the bronze tray that held a water basin. "Well, besides life, you need to get some skills so that you will have a team for the game Friday. It will also help us determine who you parent is." Percy opened his mouth to speak, "Your immortal parent, Percy, your father."

"I never really knew my father," Percy began to ramble, he was unable to stop himself from speaking, "but my mom, she was the best person in the world. She, she did everything for me, sacrificed so much. I remember when she stood up for me when my step-father called me stupid for asking if I could have blue food. She made everything that she could blue after that, she even would bring some 'free' treats home from work. No matter how often I screwed up she always would tell me that she loved me. Now she's gone, that stupid, idiotic, fat slob took her from me. She's gone forever and I'm all alone. I know that it's my fault, I didn't protect her like I should have."

Annabeth paused as he talked and then set the gauze back onto the tray instead of applying the new bandage. She stood and sat next to him on the bed and then she gently but firmly took his hand in hers. Percy was so surprised by the contact that he nearly jumped out of his skin. The blond squeezed his hand once before she spoke.

"It wasn't your fault, Percy." She whispered, her voice almost cracked as she spoke. "You can't blame yourself for the ignorance of your step-father. He would never understand you or your mother."

"I take it you know from experience."

Annabeth's grip faltered, "Not really something I like to talk about. At least not with someone I don't really know well."

"What about when we know each other better?" He questioned automatically. Out of the corner of his eye, Percy watched as a rueful smirk came to the daughter of Athena's face,

"You ask a lot of questions Percy."

Percy could feel himself smiling at her, she was definitely one for doing the interrogations not being interrogated. He imagined that she'd be one of those hard nosed police officers on a television show, the smart, pretty one that every guy fell for, yet no guy could manage to reach, except for the goofy, warm hearted detective who never followed the rules. It was almost as if she were trying to protect herself from people without being isolated. As long as you stayed on the mundane topics she wouldn't bite. Though Percy did have a knack for tempting fate. Sometimes he'd just blurt out things without even meaning to, one time, when he was little he asked Gabe if he was pregnant because of the half a beer gut he was growing.

As one can imagine, Percy spent a lot of time locked in a closet because he couldn't learn to keep his mouth shut.

"I thought, being wisdoms daughter and all, you'd appreciate my curiosity." Percy retorted. Annabeth opened her mouth to say something when a knock at the door stopped her,

"Am I interrupting a make out session?" A familiar voice cooed. "If I am I can come back later."

"Everything is PG in here Selena, come in." Annabeth called back, though Percy couldn't help but notice that her ears had tinged red.

Selena came walking into the room carrying arm loads of shopping bags, looking as beautiful as she had last night. A boy followed close behind her. The boy had dark skin, brown eyes, and dark hair. Percy couldn't believe how tall and buff the boy was, it almost seemed like he spent his time working out. Despite the scowl on his face, he didn't seem too bothered that he was carrying the rest of Selena's cargo into the room. Selena smiled sweetly at the boy and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks Charlie." She giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'll send him to you once he has some decent clothing. Do you think you will be able to give Percy some suitable armor?"

"You're talking to _me_ Selena." The boy smiled down at her and then casted his eyes to Percy. "I can get him fitted, but once he fills out more he'll probably need some new equipment."

Without another word _'Charlie'_ left Percy alone in the room with two girls. Selena turned and looked at him, almost like she was mentally picturing him looking completely different. She then turned and began to dig through one of the bags, soon Percy had a pair of grey sweatpants and a blue T-shirt tossed onto his lap. He looked to Annabeth for answers, but she merely shrugged.

"Who was that?" Percy asked.

"That was Charlie." Selena blurted out as if it were obvious. "Most people call him Beckendorf because he doesn't like his first name, but only I call him Charlie. Now go take a shower while Annabeth and I pick an outfit, Poseidon provided all you'll need to clean up in that room over there, and change into those sweats for now. I don't want to see you come walking out in those rags."

"Poseidon took the time to pick up some shampoo?" Percy couldn't believe that the sea god, even if he was Percy's father, would go out of his way to get everything prepared for him. "And Annabeth why didn't you just tell me there was a bathroom in here last night?"

"One, we were able to contact the gods when you arrived and Poseidon insisted that we set you up in his room so you could 'revive without the rift raft'." Annabeth sounded bitter when she said the sea god's name, but Percy didn't think too much of it. "and two, I figured you'd want to walk after three days of doing nothing but drooling and muttering something about a pig, who I am assuming is your step-father."

Percy blinked blankly, almost as if she had told him she were actually Smurfette in disguise, "He wanted me here?"

"Yeah, now go bathe, you reek like death." Annabeth scolded and shoved him in the direction Selena pointed out.

Percy rolled his eyes and strolled into the bathroom. If you could really even call it that, it was so large he probably could have parked a bus in it and there'd still be room for another. There was a sink to his right with a huge mirror hanging over it and a large walk in shower on the left. As Selena had said the bathroom was loaded with towels and 'Ocean Breeze' shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Poseidon must have had a big sense of irony.

"Really Poseidon?" Percy muttered as he undressed and walked into the shower.

He couldn't believe how invigorating it felt to let the hot water run over him. It almost felt like he had drank fifty bottles of 'Red Bull'after three years of sleep. Every ache he had from his injuries felt as if it were starting to fade away. Percy grinned like an idiot and put his face under the shower head. He had always loved the water, unlike most kids, his mom had a hard time keeping him out of the bath water when he was a toddler. At least now he knew why he loved to play in the ocean and at lakes so much.

After a long moment, Percy noticed something else about the shower, it bathed you in salt water. To say he was surprised was an understatement, he didn't even have to taste the water, he just knew that it was salt water. Eventually he got over his shock and decided to finish his shower earlier than he had been planning, despite the fact every part of him was screaming to enjoy the water. He quickly dried off and changed into the sweat pants and shirt Selena had given him. Percy walked back into the main room with the towel around his neck feeling more human than he had moments ago.

"So how was it?" Selena asked and grabbed his arm. Percy didn't struggle as she dragged him back to the bed. "I mean it's not everyday you get to have a salt water bath. Oh my gods, your skin feels so soft. Annabeth come feel this boy's arm."

"I'll pass," Annabeth chuckled as she eyed Percy. "Let's just get him looking decent."

Selena roughly shoved him so he'd sit on the bed, "I know. This boy needs a hair cut."

Percy couldn't help but feel as if he had gotten caught in a trap. Wasn't Selena just going to give him some new clothing? Each time he tried to protest the girls would speak over him.

"I don't think you should cut it too short," Annabeth told the daughter of Aphrodite. "he looks good with it kind of messy."

"I'll be careful." Selena argued. "I know how to exploit his natural good looks."

Then it all happened in a fury. He could hear the snipping of scissors and feel small strands of his hair falling onto his neck. Selena walked expertly around him as she brushed, cut, and re-brushed his hair. Annabeth was off to the side watching him with an amused expression, enjoying the beginnings of his 'makeover'. Every now and then Selena would gush about feathering his hair and how much cuter he was starting to look. The torture ended when Selena gave his bangs one final brush to move them the opposite way.

"Perfecto!" She smiled and then reached behind him for a pile of neatly folded clothing. "Go change into these and then we'll take you to Charlie."

**I'll stop it here, but I'll try to post the next chapter soon! Any ideas for the training, I already have one idea, but do you guys have something you think I should add to what happens. Awkward moments between Percy and Annabeth? Grover walking without his pants? The Stolls trying to swipe Percy from under Annabeth's nose? Please give me your thoughts.**


	9. New Rival

**First of all I would like to thank dogbiscut1967 for giving me a suggestion for the story. I hope you don't mind that I added my own little twist to it and how you suggested it. Also I want to say that Serena may seem OCC, but she was only in the series for brief moments at a time. From what I've read she is a nice girl, still a daughter of Aphrodite (you can't take that out of her) so she loves clothing and fashion. I see her as someone who is bubbly, smart (though she can be manipulated *glare accusingly at Luke*) I see her as someone who is nice to everyone and she really wants to make people happy. If I made her out of character I'm sorry, but I have her time in the books and the Demigod diaries to go off of. I'm hoping that all of you are enjoying the story and that you keep reading and reviewing! **

**I do not own Percy Jackson all rights belong to Rick Riordan**

Percy didn't understand why Selena was gushing after he had come out of the bathroom in the new clothing, it wasn't like they were anything special. She had just given him a pair of blue jeans, a navy blue shirt, and a dark green army jacket. He nearly lost his hearing when he heard the daughter of Aphrodite exclaim that she had out done herself. With a duck of his head, Percy tried not to blush as Selena went on and on about how handsome he looked. She kind of sounded like his mother when he had managed to scrape up a good enough grades to make it to high school.

"You clean up well." She told him and then looked to Annabeth, "What do you think Annabeth?"

The daughter of Athena eyed him carefully as she walked closer to him. She placed a finger under his chin and made him lift his head up. Percy swallowed hard as she reached over his shoulders and grabbed the collar of the jacket. Annabeth folded the fabric down neatly so it wouldn't be sticking upright. As soon as she had finished, Annabeth took three steps back.

"There, now he looks proper." She turned on her heel and began to walk briskly out of the room. "Let's get him to Beckendorf so we can start his training."

Percy followed the two girls out of the room, it felt like it had taken forever just for Selena to get him looking 'just right'. Was this what girls did every morning? If so, it was just another reason he was grateful to be a boy. They walked down the hallway, there weren't many people wandering about like there had been the first time he had woken up. Many were either suited with armor and weapons or they were just showing off abilities they had to one another. He watched as one pretty and tall Asian girl whispered into the ear of a burly looking boy holding a guitar, the boy suddenly began to sing to her before he gave her a kiss.

"Eric!" A hurt voice shrieked. Percy watched as a small girl with coco brown hair and watery blue eyes. She slapped the boy with such force that he was nearly knocked off of his feet. "How could you?"

She ran off before Eric could even answer. He tore away from the Asian girl and ran after the other one shouting apologies and pleading for her to let him explain. Percy felt bad that the girl had to watch her boyfriend cheat on her, he didn't like it when girls cried. It reminded him of his mom when she had gotten into fights with Gabe. She usually managed to lock Percy in his room so he wouldn't intervene.

"Ugh...Drew's doing it again." Annabeth growled. "I thought you told your siblings things were bad enough without them boyfriend snatching."

Serena frowned, "I did, I explained that we were supposed to guard love, not tare it apart."

Percy could see Serena's sister, Drew, smiling with false sweetness while she waved at the fleeing couple. She reminded him of Nancy Bobfits, he was sure he wouldn't get along with her, and it didn't seem like Annabeth liked Drew either. Drew looked around until her eyes landed on him, the smile on her face turned feral like a cat. She began to strut forward looking like a model, Percy almost felt as if his head was swimming. He couldn't understand what was happening as his vision seemed to be tunneling onto Drew, the feral smile she had turned sweet.

"Snap out of it, Percy." Annabeth demanded and placed her hand on his shoulder, her voice cut through the magic.

"Oh, don't be so harsh Annie-girl." Drew spoke slyly as she eyed Percy up and down. "He just knows a real girl when he sees one. So, handsome, where are you off to?"

"The forge." Selena answered for him. "You wouldn't like it Drew, a hot and sweaty and smelly place won't be good for your makeup."

Drew rolled her eyes, "Whatever...I'll see you around cutie."

Annabeth growled and grabbed Percy by the wrist while marching off. "I really hate that girl."

"What just happened?" Percy asked, he no longer felt weird like he had when looking at Drew.

"Oh sweetie, she was manipulating you." Serena pat him on the head as if he were a child who had said something silly and naïve. "Children of Aphrodite are able to change affection for the opposite gender and convince people to do anything. Now that you know, hopefully you'll be able to fight it."

Percy blinked and remembered the night before, the strange urge to do as Serena asked. He opened his mouth to ask her about it, but the all knowing smile on her face answered his question. Serena had manipulated him and the other three boys into going to bed. She must have used whatever magic she had to influence them. Percy wasn't sure how he felt about it, but since she hadn't told him to do anything stupid he shouldn't be too upset.

"The forge shouldn't be too much farther." Annabeth told him. "I'm not sure what your weapon should be, long range or melee. Have you ever shot a bow or arrow before?"

"Uh...not really. Gabe said we never had enough money for anything." The son of Poseidon muttered bitterly. "Yet somehow we had enough for him to buy beer and a case of cigars."

"Your step father sounds like a pig." Serena frowned. "Let me guess he 'gave' you and your mother a clothes budget too?"

Percy remembered how often he had gone to school or out with holey clothes because Gabe had spent too much money gambling at his poker games. Even the clothing he had come to Olympus were a few years old, which would have been fine if Percy hadn't hit a growth spurt, they had fit him rather snugly compared to the new outfit that Serena had given him. Percy had forgotten what it was like to wear clothes that actually fit. Serena suddenly ripped him from Annabeth's grasp and pulled him in for a hug.

"Oh gods," She squeezed him tightly. Percy could feel his cheeks burning, he had never been held so close by a pretty girl before. "you poor, poor boy. Well no more, I'm going to make sure you have a closet full of nice and new clothes."

"T...Thanks." Percy hated the high pitch squeak that came to his voice. It only added to his embarrassment, and people were staring at them. 'Oh, there Serena goes'. If Percy was to say he met a real life Disney princess, Serena would be it. She had the beauty and kindness and every other personality aspect in tact. "C...can you let me go now?"

Once Serena had finally let him go, the three of them finished their journey to Beckendorf's forge. It was a large room, so large that Percy didn't know if he could ever find the end. Tall racks were placed around it like bookshelves, but instead of books they were full of bronze and gold weapons and armor. It was as if a museum had gone and thrown up all of its Greek and Roman weapons. In the center of the room was the place where the metal was molded into what it was supposed to be.

Percy could hear Beckendorf slam his large mallet against the fiery orange piece of metal with a rhythm as steady as a heart beat. The other teen glistened with sweat as he focused on his project. Beckendorf wore a rubber apron over a white shirt and he had large goggles covering his eyes. He was working so intently that Percy didn't even think he noticed them. The son of Poseidon would have spoken up and gotten his attention, but something glinted in the corner of his eye and caught Percy's attention.

It was a small rolling rack that was loaded with so many weapons that it was surprising that it hadn't fallen over. Out of all the shiny weapons that had captured his interest, Percy found himself drawn to the trident which sat in the center. It was bronze like every other weapon, it had a weird power coming off it that seemed to call to him. Slowly Percy reached for it, but someone smacked his hand away before he could grab the trident. He had expected it to be Annabeth, but Beckendorf had been the one to stop him. With the goggles on his face Percy couldn't tell if the other teen was angry or not.

"Those are for the gods," He told Percy. "I'd hate for them to smite you because you touched their weapons."

"These belong to the gods?" Percy asked.

Beckendorf laughed, "Yeah, they wanted me to clean them up. My dad, Hephaestus, was too busy."

"Are you too busy to get Percy armor, Charlie?" Selena asked very sweetly. Beckendorf moved his goggles to the top of his head and looked at the daughter of Aphrodite.

"No, I can get his armor made, though he is going to have to borrow some old armor in the meantime."

Beckendorf reached over Percy's head for some beat up breast plates and shoulder pads and then handed them to the son of Poseidon. After giving Percy another brief glance he also grabbed a helmet with what looked like a blue Mohawk. Percy must have looked like he'd need protection for his head. Beckendorf gave another chuckle and placed the helmet on the dark haired teen's head. It was almost too big for Percy.

"If Annabeth is going to be training you, your going to need this." Percy looked over to the daughter of Athena who was smiling innocently at him. "Now let's get you're measurements."

Beckendorf worked expertly around him, measuring the width of Percy's chest and waist. Serena babbled on and on about things that Charlie could do to make Percy's armor more stylish. It was hard for the son of Poseidon to stay still as Beckendorf finished the measurements. Just as he was about to ask Percy what weapon he wanted, a large girl came stomping into the room with a spear in her hand and a sword strapped to her belt. She had stringy brown hair, brown eyes, and an attitude around her meaner than Gabe on a drunken night. Percy grunted as she pushed him with enough force to slam him into one of the shelves.

"Beckendorf, maimer needs polishing." She demanded as she shoved her weapon into the buff teen's chest, "Make it snappy."

"Please." Percy muttered to himself. She was rude like he thought.

The girl's pig eyes turned onto him, "What did you say runt? I don't think I've ever seen you around here."

"Clarisse, this is Percy." Annabeth explained as she walked to his side. "He's new. Percy this is Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares."

"That explains the smell." He blurted out without meaning to.

If looks could kill Percy would have been a bloody mess on the ground. Clarisse's nose flared like an angry bull's ready to charge, her face was so red that Percy thought she'd pass out from anger. In one swift motion she grabbed the front of Percy's shirt and pulled him in close enough for him to feel the heat of her breath hit him in the face. His helmet slid off of his head and clanked on the floor. Percy tried not to think about how often he had found himself face to face with someone he irritated.

"What did you say Prissy?" She demanded and then began to drag Percy from the weapons room. "I think I should teach you a lesson."

Annabeth grabbed the back of Percy's shirt in an attempt to stop Clarisse from taking him away, but she seemed to be losing the tug of war and was being pulled along with him. "Come on Clarisse, he hasn't even had any formal training yet, and he doesn't have a weapon either."

"Then I suggest you grab him a weapon." The daughter of Ares gave another great tug and pulled Percy from Annabeth's grasp. Percy stumbled along as they left the armory. "Besides, I'm the best sword fighter here, who better to teach the runt."

Annabeth stood at the entrance of Beckendorf's forge with an annoyed expression on her face. Percy gave her a grin as he looked back at her, "I'll be fine, I've gotta make my own rep."

A strange, bewildered expression crossed her features as she watched Clarisse take him further away. Percy felt a little nervous when the daughter of Athena finally disappear from his sight. He then looked back at the girl who continued to carry him along almost like he was a rag doll. It was kind of humiliating because people they passed by would point and whisper to each other. Eventually the two were picking up a group of followers.

"Looks like you beating is going to be public Prissy." Clairesse sneered. "So I guess I won't maim you too badly."

"That's comforting." Percy rolled his eyes as they reached what looked like a large high school football field. It was filled with heavily packed beach sand, though he could see rusty spots in the light brown sand. He was pretty sure that they were the fading remains of blood. On either side of the field were large marble risers lined with torches and where they had come in at was a huge, pearl white salt water fountain with all of the gods and goddesses carved into it. The place would be beautiful if he weren't about to get in a bloody fight.

Many other kids and even adults were filing in and finding a place to sit on the risers. All were chattering excitably about the impending battle. Percy wondered if they'd stop her if she got too into killing him. Annabeth, Serena, and Beckendorf, who was hauling the rack of god's weapons with him, stood off by the entrance to the Arena. The daughter of Athena's face flushed with relief when she looked at Percy, she had some armor and a sword in her arms. She rushed towards him and immediately went to work strapping the gear onto him.

"Annabeth," Percy tried to protest, but she plopped an overly large helmet on his head.

"She's not like me, Clairsse isn't afraid to go for the chest or head." The blond told him as she straitened the breast plate. "If you watch her I'm sure you can find a strategy to at least not get killed."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He teased and picked up the sword. It didn't feel quite right to him, almost like it was too light.

Annabeth looked at him with her sharp grey eyes, "She wasn't kidding when she said she's the best fighter here, Percy. Clairsse is also the most ruthless."

"Alright, I'll be careful." He assured her.

"If you guys are done flirting, I've got a murder to begin." The daughter of Ares shouted. The groups in the risers gave out a loud cheer. Annabeth gave him another concerned glance before she returned to the fountain where Beckendorf and Serena stood. "Now, I'll tell you the one rule of sparing with me, try not to scream too much when I'm carving into you."

With a cry Clairsse charged, her sword hovering high over her head. Percy hesitate for a moment before he finally raised his blade to meet her's just fast enough to stop her from cutting his skull in half. He hadn't kept her at bay for long. She let out a snicker and slammed her elbow into his still sore nose. The helmet Annabeth had put on his head fell to the sand and blood gushed onto his shirt. As he stumbled backwards, Clairsse swung her leg around and kicked him in the chest. He grunted and tumbled off of his feet.

"OHHH!" the audience called.

In one swift motion Clairsse knocked Percy's sword from his hands. She smiled in a cruel way that reminded Percy of Gabe when he had locked him in the closet for the fun of it. "Pick it up, I'll give you another chance."

Though he didn't trust her, the dark haired teen didn't have much of a choice. He reached out for the sword, but Clairsse stopped him and slashed his arm open. Serena screamed somewhere behind him, shouting for Beckendorf to stop the fight. The daughter of Ares swung at him again as she tried to cut his face. Percy had been quick enough to avoid getting a new scar on his chin.

"Having troubles there Prissy?" she taunted and tried to cut him again.

Percy quickly got back to his feet and backed away from her each time she swung, getting farther and farther from his sword. It would be impossible for him to get past her relentless attack. He was sure that he was toast, his arm was sticky with blood and he could feel himself becoming lightheaded. It was almost hopeless, until he remembered Beckendorf, specifically the weapons rack that the other boy had brought in. Ducking from another blow, Percy turned and ran towards the small group whom hadn't come to watch him get killed.

The look that had crossed the darker skinned teen's face told Percy that Beckendorf had figured out what he was planning. Percy was too fast for the buff teen, he snatched up the trident. An almost overwhelming power seemed to rush through him when he touch its metal base. He found himself distracted by how enormous the energy was as he walked farther in front of the fountain. Every one had gone silent, they no longer were hollering and chanting for Clairsse to finish him. Even Beckendorf had stopped trying to reclaim the trident.

It seemed as if Clairsse was the only one who hadn't noticed the sudden stillness in the room. She gave one last charge and knocked him over into the fountain. Percy could feel the water rushing around him. He no longer felt as clumsy or sore. It was almost as if he was supercharged with electricity. Percy got to his feet, somehow he had managed to keep a hold on the trident as he fell. Clairsse was walking around an calling to the audience, talking about how pathetic 'Prissy' was.

Percy felt so angry and annoyed. What made this girl think she was better than him? He was soaking wet, that didn't bother Percy, she had done everything to kill him, and now she was acting as if she were the greatest person in the world. He hadn't thought about what he was doing when he pulled his arm that held the trident back, Percy took a moment to aim and then he threw it with all of his might. Percy wouldn't have really sent the three pronged weapon through her head, but seeing her drop her sword when the air rushed by her ear and down in front of her was more than satisfying.

Her distraction gave him a chance to leap from the fountain and after his own discarded sword. Clairsse tried to get her weapon back in hand before he had snuck up on her, but it was too late. She turned in time for her to see his sword hovering inches from her neck. The sneer on her face could melt ice, but the manic confidence that flooded his system made him unafraid of the daughter of Ares. She tried to reach for her weapon, Percy saw this and knocked it away before she could have a good hold on it.

"I believe we're done here." He told her and pulled the trident from its place in the sand. The crowd had long since forgotten their awe when he had held it the first time.

"You win this round, Prissy." She muttered. "But I hold a grudge, and you just got lucky."

Clairsse stomped off of the Arena, a few girls broke away from the crowd on the risers and followed her out of the room. Beckendorf, Selena, and Annabeth all came rushing up to him. Annabeth was looking at him as if he had fallen from the sky and Selena gave a squeal of delight as she wrapped him in a hug. Beckendorf on the other hand didn't look happy as he ripped the trident from Percy's hand.

"You're lucky that Poseidon is a cool god and didn't kill you on the spot." The teen chided and took the trident back to the weapon's rack.

Serena let Percy go and tried to fix his hair damp hair, "Oh, he's not really mad at you. He just takes his work very seriously."

"Why don't I take you to get your wounds cleaned?" Annabeth took his sword and began to lead him out of the Arena. She looked down at the arm Clairsse had cut open. "I could have sworn this looked worse than it does."

**This chapter was so long. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter. Riptide will make its appearance, in later chapters.**


	10. Tutorials and Plans

**Hey guys I know I haven't updated since September. I'm sorry, it took awhile for me to get the time to write this and for this chapter to come into my head. I hope you guys enjoy. It may be a little slow because I wanted to explain the 'game' to you or at least major stuff before I just throw you into its chapter. And then I had to address some sad things...but it is not all sad and well...I'll let you guys read...and one more thing...PLEASE REVIEW, GIVE ME FEEDBACK, SUGGESTIONS. I want to know what you guys are thinking. And I will try to answer you questions as well. I will say that Percy's father will be revealed to the others soon.**

**Disclaimer, I do not own Percy Jackson all rights belong to Rick Riordan**

After she had cleaned and mended his wounds, Annabeth told Percy that she was going to skip the training for the day because of his match with Clairesse. He followed her to yet another room, it was almost as large as Beckendorf's forge. There were many tables scattered around, each set up with its own miniature field of trees and rivers and tiny fort replicas. The blond teen led him to one of the nearest tables.

"I guess you will have enough skills not to get killed in the game." Annabeth gave him a know it all smile and pressed a button on the table side. "And after shocking Clairesse enough to drop her own sword, everyone is going to be after you. They will want you on their team."

Percy smirked, "Would everyone include you?"

"Maybe."

The table began to fill up with a whole horde of monsters, Percy wondered if the it was a demigod's version of _Dungeons and Dragons._ One was obviously Medusa, or at least a miniature version of her. There was also a Minotaur, a dragon like creature, a large spider, a Cyclopes, and other creatures that he couldn't hope to identify. For a long moment he noticed Annabeth staring at the spider and she tried to nudge it farther away from her with one of the pine trees on the replica. It was the first girly act he had seen from her since he met her.

Once Annabeth was satisfied with the little arachnid's distance she looked up at Percy as if daring him to say something. He decided it was best he didn't upset her. Maybe she was like most girls and they grossed her out. Percy had seen tons of girls at his school freak out even when the tiniest of spiders crossed their paths. Some 'brave' girls would squirt half a bottle of their fruity perfume on it until it drown. He personally would just crush the thing and be done with it.

"So is this some kind of board game or something?" He asked her as he poked the Minotaur with his finger, the tiny half man simply tumbled over with a squeak of indignation.

Annabeth slapped his hand away, "This is serious Percy. You are going to be facing the life sized versions on Friday."

"So what happens at the game anyway?"

"We've kind of mixed the Greek's capture the flag with the Roman's war games and made it so it applies to the impending war." She began. Percy blinked, impending war? "I told you before, the bad guys took our homes and we want them back."

Percy thought back to the name that Slate had said the day he arrived at Olympus, "Who is Kronos?"

Every muscle in Annabeth's body went ridged as if she had been electrocuted, "Names have power Percy, be careful what you say."

"Well who is he?" Percy pressed on feeling unable to stop himself. "Those monsters the other day were talking about taking me to him."

"He's the lord of time, he's cruel, and he's evil. He will use your deepest and darkest thoughts, your desires to lure you in." Annabeth told him. "He used to eat mortals, force them to entertain him and his titan buddies, and many other things that would probably make you sick if I told you."

"He sounds like my step-father." Percy shrugged. Annabeth smiled slightly and relaxed.

"Now that we have gone off of that tangent, how about we focus on preparing you for the games?" The daughter of Athena returned her gaze to the field. "We have multiple teams, all with a mixture of Greek and Roman demigods, only two teams preform each Friday, one team is for the gods and the other the titans. It alternates often so everyone can experience each side and grow. The ones on the titan's side have an advantage…"

"The big monsters?"

"Yup." Annabeth agreed. "And each monster has its own ability that makes it dangerous. Some of them even eat campers."

A red alarm seemed to go off in Percy's mind. Who the heck would want to risk being eaten during a training game? He must have had a stupid look on his face because Annabeth started laughing at his reaction. Her laugh was actually kind of cute, like a puppy sneezing. Percy felt his face turn scarlet, though he didn't know why.

"What's so funny?" He demanded.

"I-It's j-just. I'm sorry P-percy, but your face was just priceless." Slowly she quelled her giggles and finally cleared her throat. "There's nothing to worry about, if you are eaten, the monster will hold you in its 'stomach' with other campers it caught until the game is over."

Percy crossed his arms, "And I'm sure it will happily regurgitate its meal when the game is over."

"You could come out the other end." Annabeth quirked an eyebrow, obviously enjoying his confusion. "They're just animatronics created by Hephaestus to give us more experience fighting monsters without the risk of actually being killed. Besides only two types can eat campers."

"That's just messed up." Percy shook his head in disbelief. "Have you been eaten before?"

Annabeth shrugged, "Once when I was twelve, but that was because the Stoll brothers had knocked me over while running away from the Draken."

Percy remembered the Stoll brothers, they had dragged him off the night before and had been really friendly to him. Though he could only imagine what Annabeth had done for revenge. He knew that retribution had been sought for their crime of making her 'die'. Annabeth went on to explain the abilities each monster had. If you looked at the gorgon's eyes she'd send a light ray to paralyze you until the game was over, the Minotaur was a fearsome foe who carried around a club and tended to knock the living daylights out of campers, Draken spewed fire and if a camper was unlucky it would eat them (according to Annabeth the max it could eat was ten), Cyclopes were the largest animatronics that also ate campers and swung a club around, Hellhounds ran in a pack and would mostly cause cuts and bruises to the campers, and Emposa would capture campers using hypnosis which also made it possible to save them if someone killed the Emposa in time.

It was randomized each new game and you only had to face four types of monsters per game. Though you don't really know what you'll be faceing

"What about the spider?" The son of Poseidon asked and pointed his finger at it. The tiny arachnid shot a web that made a direct line from his finger and the board. It hissed and clamored up the line, intent on wrapping the rest of his hand. The daughter of Athena pulled his hand away and broke the connection, making it fall back onto the board.

"It was just some joke by Hephaestus." Annabeth scowled. Her nose scrunched up as if she were smelling something really disgusting. "He made them to tease Athena and Aphrodite's children. They make webs on the field and if you get caught by one you're wrapped up in webbing until you are either saved or the game is over."

"Gross."

"You could say that." Percy heard a voice behind them. "And the game is only over if you capture the 'Titan army's' flag or the 'God's army' runs out of campers."

Both Chiron and Grover came walking into the room. Chiron was in his horse form, yet he still wore his tweed jacket and a tie. Percy was pretty much over the half animal concept. And then he looked at Grover who stood off nervously wearing a peculiar pair of shaggy pants. It was odd, but then Percy noticed that the 'pants' were accompanied by hooves. Grover blushed and hid farther behind Chiron. Percy blinked and finally understood why Grover walked with a limp.

He was half goat, or was it half donkey?

"Morning Chiron." Annabeth greeted as she ran up and hugged the centaur. "I was just telling Percy about some of the hazards of the game."

"I can see that, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to steal the boy from you for a bit." Chiron told her. "Don't worry, I will return him to you shortly."

"I'm not worried about that." She said. Percy could see her blush slightly and return to the table. "I'll just be here planning my team's strategy."

Chiron nodded at her and motioned Percy forward, "We haven't had a proper moment to catch up, my boy. I'd like to speak with you."

"If it's about the fight with Clariesse, she started it." The teen told his former teacher as the three of them left the room.

"You certainly finished it." Chiron chuckled fondly. "Tell me, Mr. Jackson, how have you been the last few years?"

Percy wasn't sure he really wanted to talk about all of the schools he had gotten kicked out of. Nor did he want to describe his mother's murder. If he talked about Paul, he was sure that guilt would sneak up and punch him in the stomach. No one really needed to know the number of bruises and injuries Gabe had given him over the years either. After a long moment the teen shrugged,

"Same old, same old."

"I truly am sorry that we hadn't brought you in sooner Percy, it may have saved you a lot of grief." The older man placed his hand on the teen's shoulder. "Hopefully we'll get you settled in your proper wing of Olympus with your siblings."

"Huh?" Percy was positive that everyone else was telling him there were no demigod children of the sea, but then he remembered that he was the only one who knew his godly parent. "Oh right, so how does the whole thing work."

Grover spoke for the first time, "There is going to be a meeting, there you can state your godly parent if you know who they are or they will claim you if you don't. Though there may be a chance that he might not claim you, if that is the case then you will be put into the Hermes wing with his children."

Percy looked down, he really wanted to see if Poseidon would claim him on his own. If he did that meant he cared about him and Gabe hadn't been right. Though his father claiming him would only be the beginning of regaining Percy's trust. But what if his dad didn't claim him, Percy didn't mind the idea of rooming with Travis and Connor, they were cool. Percy didn't know what to hope for, the idea of his dad rejecting him mad his heart seem to race faster.

The son of Poseidon mentally shook his head, _if he doesn't want me it's his problem, I haven't needed him for fourteen years. What's it matter if he isn't a part of it for the rest of my life?_

"Are you alright Percy?" Grover asked his eyes did the goat like thing. "You seem worried."

"I'm fine." Percy sighed. "Is there anything else you guys wanted to talk to me about?"

Chiron's face turned grim as he stopped in the center of the hall. A sinking feeling came into Percy's gut. He suspected what had been so upsetting as to change the centaur's mood. Though, Percy hoped that he was wrong. Unfortunately he wasn't.

"I wanted to discuss the matter of your mother's untimely end." Percy glued his eyes to the marble floor. "According to my sources, you teacher Mr. Blofits, is trying to stall the funeral until you are found."

"A…and?" the teen could feel his whole body begin to tremble. His knees felt as if they would give out at any second.

Chiron sighed and again laid a hand on Percy's shoulder, "I was wondering if you wish for me to get in touch with him, discuss you going to say goodbye to her."

The son of Poseidon felt as if the weight he held had become three times heavier. He had been doing his best to keep himself under control, but Chiron's well-meant offer was like getting wacked with a metal tipped whip. Could he even manage to stand at the funeral? His mom was murdered, right in front of him. And he was nearly killed with her.

"Perce?" Grover also placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Give me some time." Percy's voice almost sounded like air rushing from a broken squeaky toy. "I need some time. Can I go back to Annabeth now?"

Chiron nodded released his shoulder. Percy tried not to run back to the planning room where Annabeth was. It seemed like each step he took dragged him back to another moment with his mom. He felt warm all over yet cold at the same time. His mom, the best person in the world, the one person who loved him no matter what, and she was gone forever.

The walk back to the room seemed to take forever, but when he finally reached it he saw that Annabeth was still at the table. Her fingers were twisting the beads on her neckless and she bit her lip as her eyes scanned the replica field, as if she were watching over many miniature campers simulating a battle. For a long moment, she hadn't noticed him and he couldn't bring himself to break her concentration. Then she paused and her eyes slowly came up to him, her steal hard concentration face melted into mild concern.

"Are you alright?" She asked as she walked to him. "You look as if someone kicked a three legged puppy."

"I'm alright," He managed to tell her, but she didn't look convinced.

"I know something that might cheer you up." Annabeth grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the table. Percy had been too upset to really notice the contact as he walked with her.

"What would that be?" He asked. She grinned brightly like the sun,

"I want you on my team, considering we won't know who you godly parent is until after the games and stuff."

"I'm not going to be bait for a monster or something?" Percy inquired and watched the miniature Draken try to bite Madusa's head off.

Annabeth shook her head, "Na, the game is too fast pace for something like that. I want you to be on my flank."

"You know you might end up getting eaten again." Percy smirked. It almost felt as if Annabeth's bright smile was chasing away his sorrow.

"I would like to take my chances. I've seen what you can do and I know you have good instincts and reflexes." She told him and then cocked her head to the side. "So are you in?"

**Please tell me what you guys think. Pretty please. Also, do you want me to make a list of the 'monsters' and their abilities in the next chapter?**


	11. The Game of War

**First of all I apologize for the long pauses between chapters. I am currently in my first year of college and I have tons to do, but I will never abandon my stories. I am also hoping to be able to go through the process of getting one of my books published soon. I hope you enjoy the game. This story is fun to write, but I do agree that it is tragic that Sally is dead,(moment of silence). But she raised Percy well, I know our favorite son of Poseidon will be alright. Eventually. I also have the monster list beneath for reference in this chapter, so you will know the abilities and what to watch out for, but remember, only four monster types per game. **

_**Gorgons- They are the only dead on sight monster, if a camper is unfortunate to look one in the eye, she will emit a light ray that will temporarily paralyze the camper until the games are over**_

_**Minataur- he is a beastly monster and carries a club, most of the time it will take many campers to take it down, or will it?**_

_**Draken- Second largest monster, it spews fire and as part of some morbid humor it can even 'eat' a cetin number of campers, holding them hostage in a belly like sack until the game is over**_

_**Cyclopes- The largest monster that Hephaestus was aloud to make, if given a chance it will also 'eat' unlucky campers and hold them until the game is over. It also has a large club. No group of campers have brought the beast down**_

_**Hellhounds- Not big enough to eat the campers, but it's harmless, yet sharp, teeth and claws can cause a camper injury. Mainly run in packs, tend to drag the 'good' campers back to 'Kronos's' base in the game**_

_**Emposa- They capture and take campers back to 'Krono's' base, using a hypnosis, if they aren't slain first. It is possible to save the camper if one is within the first few minutes of their capture**_

_**Giant spiders- Now the forge god couldn't resist teasing Athena and Aphrodite's children, so he created giant mechanical spiders whom create webs through out the field. If a camper gets caught by the spider he/she is wrapped up in artificial spider silk and is stuck until the end of the game or if some brave hero decides to free them**_

**And one more reminder about the games, there is never a full 'cabin' or arsenal of demigods from specific parenting on one team. An example would be there being sons and daughters of Hermes on both the good team as well as the bad team and also in the stands with the teams awaiting a chance to play the games.**

**Disclaimer, I don't own Percy Jackson, all rights belong to Rick Riordan**

He had said 'yes' to Annabeth that day. She was the only camper he had talked to enough that he trusted her. Actually he talked to her more than anyone he'd met since his mom... So he agreed to work with her at the game. When the day finally came he was nervous, Percy hadn't had any real training except for when he had humiliated Clarisse. He was pretty sure the lack of training would bite him in the butt, but the daughter of Athena insisted that she'd stick by his side.

Annabeth had been telling the truth when she said that the groups were mixed up. They had some children of Athena, Mars, Aphrodite, Hermes, and him (the son of Poseidon) on their team. Percy began to think they had a fairly well rounded group on their side, though he was surprised to see that none of Mars's children resented him for what he did to Clarisse. When Serena had seen him walk into the room she gave a delighted squeak and dragged him over to her siblings as if he were a brand new pair of shoes she wanted to show off. Many of the Aphrodite girls looked him up and down and then praised how he was dressed.

"I Know right?" Selena smiled and pointed to the dark blue shirt she had thrown in his face that morning when he had slept in. "The blue brings out his eyes, I've never seen anything like it. He has such pretty green eyes."

Annabeth yanked Percy from Selena's tight grasp and scowled slightly at the other girl, "Are you trying to introduce him or sell him?"

A hurt frown came onto Selena's face, her lower lip popped out and her multicolored eyes looked a little watery. For a moment Percy wondered if they were as good of friends as they seemed. He felt bad for the daughter of Aphrodite, she was very friendly and only trying to help. Annabeth, however, was unfazed by Selena's sad face as she continued to stare the other girl down. Percy was about to comfort the disheartened girl when slowly, an all knowing smile curled onto her features.

"Maybe a little of both." Selena rested her hands on her hips, "Unless that makes you uncomfortable Annie. Do you not like the idea of other girls ogling your man?"

"What?" both Percy and Annabeth yelped.

"I'm not."

"He's not.

"We just.."

"Met, we're just.."

"Friends."

The children of love cooed at the two of them. Percy's face flushed when he realized that they had both taken turns speaking the same lines. Annabeth also looked red like a tomato as she grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the Aphrodite children who were murmuring amongst themselves. He caught the word 'Percabeth' and then his ears filled with screaming. How is it that they came up with a couple name when he and Annabeth weren't a couple yet? Percy suddenly caught what he had just thought, 'yet'. He was sure his face turned a whole new shade of red.

"I'm sorry, I should have warned you that they like to sit around an think of who would make a great couple." The blonde teen couldn't look at him as she spoke. "They can be kind of crazy."

Percy's cheeks continued to burn, "Yeah, crazy. So how long until the game starts."

"About twenty minutes, we can let the others in on our strategy soon." Annabeth told him. Her cheeks were still rosy, but her eyes no longer held any sign of bashfulness like they had moments ago.

More demigods continued to file into the room. Percy noticed that everything was set up like an extra large locker room, there were cubbies for each camper, many water fountains, showers in a separate room, and a super sized first aid kit. Despite all of the modern comforts the room was covered with stone and looked like it belonged in ancient Rome or Greece. Annabeth gushed about how she'd improve the room, what she liked about it and what she would change. Percy noticed that she could get into long tangents about buildings and designing them herself. She seemed to be so excited about it that Percy couldn't bring himself to tell her that he didn't understand half of what she was talking about when it came to the subject.

"I guess we better tell the others the plan before the game starts." Annabeth finally finished talking about the room and walked to one of the many benches that were in front of the cubbies. "Okay every one listen up!"

The whole room instantly quieted down, all turned their attention to the blond teen. Percy listened as she relayed the plan that she had told him the day prior. It was a pretty good plan, he wondered how often the good teams won the battle against the evil. He could not see any of their teammates arguing with Annabeth's plan. Though that sly smirk came back to Selena's face when the daughter of Athena asked if there were any objections.

"Are you sure that you don't just want to have Percy all to yourself?" She asked.

Annabeth denied the accusation loudly just as a conch horn sounded. Percy watched their whole team holler loudly, grab their weapons, and charge out of the locker room. The daughter of Athena smacked her face and sighed in exasperation before she grabbed the both of them weapons. He let her lead him out along with their group of screaming demigods. The two of them marched out onto the brightly lit indoor forest arena.

"Hello campers!" Chiron's voice boomed, he appeared in a futuristic seeming holographic screen. Percy felt almost like a football player going onto a stadium field. "You all should know the rules, but for those of you who may have forgot... There is absolutely no maiming, no slashing at the head, but a good hit with your hilt is permitted, sometimes the robots may catch fire so be sure to find one of the many creeks immediately to douse the flames. The game is over when either the godly team captures the titan teams flag or the titan team takes out most of the godly players. That being said, let the battle begin!"

The lights suddenly went out. Percy was shocked by the abrupt darkness that surrounded them, but Annabeth grabbed his hand and began to drag him through the forest. She had broken most of the kids up into a larger group to distract the masses of foes, but the two of them were relatively alone, except for the few demigods that trailed behind them. Maybe she figured it would be best to avoid letting him fight until he got better or something. He wasn't sure.

Percy grunted each time his ankle was caught by an unseen root of a tree. The daughter of Athena had no problem maneuvering in the dark, but she didn't seem ready to let his hand go. The dark haired demigod felt his face heat up, he didn't know why holding hands with her made him feel nervous. Every so often she'd only address him to hiss out an order.

"Keep up Percy."

"I'm trying, but my eyes haven't adjusted yet." He complained. "Where are we going anyway?"

"Whenever we battle this particular team, I notice that they leave their left flank completely unguarded." She explained. "At least they don't have monsters here, last time I checked."

Percy's face scrunched up, "Didn't you say everything was randomized or something?"

"The monsters change," Annabeth sighed. "but the people are predictable."

"Like us Percy!" Travis and Connor shouted behind them. The two of them were ordered to keep a ten foot distance from Annabeth at all times during the game. Percy thought for a moment as he tried to stare at the outline of his hand in hers. Maybe that was why she didn't want him to fall behind her. "Please, Annie, stop holding our adoptive brother captive. We haven't seen him in _days_!"

Percy's eyes adjusted enough that he could finally tell who was who and where they were. They were following a narrow pathway through the trees and they were surrounded by thick weeds and bushes. He could faintly hear rustling around them, but the other teens seemed too into their argument to notice at all. Each time he opened his mouth to warn them someone would shout over him. Travis and Connor pleading with her to let him go and Annabeth flat out refusing and shouting about how they'd get Percy eaten. Then suddenly the rustling stopped, Percy wasn't too sure it was a good thing.

"He's mine so long as we're in this game boys." Annabeth called back. "So get used to it!"

"Possessive owl pellet." Connor muttered quietly.

The daughter of Athena heard him however. In one swift movement she released Percy's hand and marched over to the offending boy with her hand hovering over her knife. She spat out harshly in ancient Greek as she slowly pulled her blade from its sheath. As she took her next step, there was a rather wet squish sound followed by a scream of terror. Percy rushed to help, but it was no use, Annabeth had been dragged off into the woods. For a long moment all of them stared like idiots.

"Well she's gone." Travis deadpanned and pat Percy on the back. "Congrats, you've been promoted."

Percy shook his head, "We've got to save her!"

"Good luck with that." A demigod farther back shouted. "We need to stick with the plan."

Percy scowled and unsheathed the unbalanced sword from his belt. The bonze seemed to give off its own light, enough that he should be able to follow the tracks of whatever had taken Annabeth. He wasn't sure if it was fear or anticipation that burned through his whole body. Or was it something else? He didn't know anything other than he had to save Annabeth, the game could wait.

"You guys go ahead." He told them as he shined the bronze light onto the flattened grass. "I'm going to save Annabeth."

"Your funeral."

Most of the other demigods left and continued through the path Annabeth had planned out. The only two who remained were the reluctant Stoll twins. They both brought out their own bronze weapons and the light was greater. Percy could see large strings and clumps of white goo leading farther into the trees. She must have been taken by one of the giant spiders. The twins murmured to each other before snatching Percy up in their arms.

"What are you doing?" He demanded as he struggled against their grips.

"She'll be fine Percy, the thing won't kill her."

Percy motioned to the spider webbing, "She hates spiders, I could see that the other day. Come on guys it'd be torture to leave her to that thing."

The son of Poseidon finally managed to yank himself away from the other boys and he began to follow the path which the spider had made pulling Annabeth through the grass. Percy could hear the twins clamoring nervously behind him. Despite their insistence that they leave, the two boys decided to take his lead and help Percy. The three of them were silent, trying to listen for any sign of Annabeth.

Percy felt his foot bump against a small object, he turned the light of his sword to the grass. Annabeth's blade lay abandon in the middle of their path, she had probably dropped it when trying to reach for the webbing that had caught her or something. He picked it up and tucked it between the belt loops on his pants. It seemed as if the spider had dragged the poor girl on forever, Percy wondered how far they had gotten from the path. He thought he could faintly heard a growl, but it had been so soft he figured that the mechanical monster was farther off.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Her screams overpowered everything else. Percy felt his skin crawl, Annabeth was terrified. He didn't like the idea of her or anyone being so scared and so alone.

"Come on guys, we need to hurry!" Percy told the Stoll brothers.

"Why does our adoptive brother have to be the type of hero that runs towards the screams of horror?" Connor asked.

"Maybe he thinks saving her will get him a date."

Percy turned on his heel and glared at them, "Shut up! I'm not trying to get a date with Annabeth. What is with everyone thinking she and I like each other so much?"

The two teen shrugged and smirked boldly in the dim light. Percy huffed irritably and returned on his quest to find and save Annabeth. Just as it seemed like the darkness would never end he spotted a clearing lit with soft blue light, almost as if the moon was peeking in. In the center of the clearing was the worlds largest spider web. A single cocoon was nestled in the center. That had to be the daughter of Athena.

"We need a plan." he told Travis and Connor. Both frowned at him,

"If you haven't learned this yet,"

"We're kind of idiots."

Percy rolled his eyes and watched as the giant spider nudged Annabeth's prison and added more webbing. He thought back to the terror he felt when Gabe had trapped him in a small, dark room when he was five and terrified of being in the dark. Annabeth must have felt just as terrified being trapped by the arachnid. The son of Poseidon wasn't about to leave her there all by herself.

"You guys distract the spider." Percy told them. They looked as if he asked them to defy gravity and do a handstand on the trees. "Hermes is the runner and messenger god, the fastest of all gods, right? So shouldn't you be able to be fast like him."

"Oh," Travis frowned. "You must be a son of Athena, unusual considering you're not blonde."

"Please guys, Annabeth is probably having a panic attack or something."

"Fine." Connor conceded, "But you owe us, we are going to have a guys night and you will help us sneek outside food onto Olympus."

Percy agreed, "Fine whatever, just get that thing away from Annabeth and I'll cut her free."

Finally the sons of Hermes rushed out into the field calling and hollering for the spider's attention. It was successful, the spider turned its large body and skittered after the identical boys. Percy sheathed his sword and waited a moment before he finally rushed off towards the gently lit webbing. Annabeth's cocoon was a lot higher up than he anticipated. He tapped the webbing and found that it was sticky. He wouldn't be able to get too far up without possibly getting stuck himself.

But there was no other way to get to her. With a sigh he loosely gripped the gooey surface and began to scale upward towards Annabeth. The cocoon writhed when his movement caused the webbing to tremor. He wanted to tell Annabeth that he was there to save her, but he didn't want to risk drawing the spider's attention to himself. Percy sometimes got stuck but he gently worked his hand or foot free of the web and continued his way to Annabeth.

When he reached her he could hear the whimpers and sniffles coming from inside the thick webbing that surrounded the daughter of Athena. For some reason it really broke his heart to see her so afraid. Percy carefully cut the side of the cocoon open with the knife Annabeth had dropped. She let out a soft yelp that sounded like it had come from a wounded puppy.

He had just gotten the cocoon open and he could see Annabeth frozen in fear on the inside, her usually strong grey eyes looked vulnerable like a child's. Percy reached his hand into it and as he whispered his name to her. She took it and, with his help, shimmied out of the cocoon. Tears glistened on her face, she had been so scared, he could see it. It wasn't just a mild disgust of the arachnid creature, she was absolutely afraid of the things.

"Here get on my back," He told her, "I should be able to carry the both of us down."

She slowly took him up on his offer and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist. For a moment Percy found himself flushed, but he quickly decide it was more important to get Annabeth away from the spider and its web. Annabeth pressed her face into his shoulder blade and breathed heavily with relief. Percy didn't mind being so close to her, he didn't mind the feeling of her curly hair caressing his cheek and tickling his neck. It almost felt right, but that was silly, he had just met her and yet he felt as if they had known each other for years.

Maybe...just maybe...

"PERCY!" Travis called out. "Big, leggy, and hairy is coming your way!"

Annabeth squeaked and wrapped her arms tighter around him, almost cutting off his air supply. Percy turned his head slightly and sure enough the thing was charging at them. The son of Poseidon looked down, they were probably ten feet from the ground, but he didn't have time to try and get down safely. The spider would have caught the two of them and Percy would officially be the worst hero ever.

"Annabeth do you trust me?" He asked. She waited a beat before nodding into his shoulder. "Hold on tight."

Percy let go of the webbing and hoped that he didn't stick to it. Luck was on his side and the both of them fell, Percy made sure to land on his feet, but the impact had caused his knees to smart in protest. Annabeth reluctantly let her feet slide onto the grass with his, but she still held onto him. She almost seemed unable to move her legs. The son of Poseidon hoped he wouldn't fall over as he picked her up bridal style and rushed towards the woods.

When they reached the bushes he set her down and pried her arms from his neck, "Stay here."

He handed her the blade she dropped and pulled out his own sword as he turned to meet the spider. Percy waved the bronze object in its face and began to lead it away from Annabeth. The son of Poseidon called out taunts and slashed at the monster every so often. He probably would have won the award for the most idiotic demigod in the world, but he was glad that he had chosen to save Annabeth. The look of absolute terror on her face, and the relief she had when he came for her told him he had made the right choice.

After leading the spider a good yard away from Annabeth, Percy began to wonder how he'd stop the thing from catching him. His thoughts were interrupted when something gooey and warm latched onto his leg. Percy was just able to see the webbing that wrapped around his foot before he was yanked from his feet. He grunted as he landed on his chest and the air was knocked from his lungs. Percy turned onto his back as he was tugged back to the monster.

It loomed over him and hissed at him. Hephaestus had gone all out with the thing, it even had drool coming out of its mouth. Percy tried to move from under it, but the spider had him trapped beneath it with its cage like legs. He looked up into its large beady eyes. For a moment Percy knew exactally how Annabeth felt being trapped by the thing. The demigod tried to bring the bronze sword up to burry it into the monster's stomach, but he couldn't seem to be able to thrust it well. It was too unbalanced for him to give the monster a good hit.

The spider used Percy's inability to strike it to its advantage as it began to cover his legs in more of the webbing. Percy shouted out in frustration and punched the spider in the face. Not smart considering the aracnid was made of metal, but the thing staggered back in surprise. Obviously had never had one of the demigods punch it before. Percy scooted farther from it, but the web on his legs weighed almost as much as smelly Gabe.

He started to cut through the webbing, but the spider had quickly regained its focus and turned back to him. If it was possible, Percy had managed to make the animatronic angry. With a hiss it started to attack him again, it quickly webbed both of his arms down and crawled over him again. Its pincers snapped at him each time he tried to move. Just as it was going to try and make him into a human burrito the machine stopped and began to stagger away from him before it finally collapsed to the ground.

"What the-?" Percy looked at the smoking robot and then watched as a figure climbed off of it.

Whoever had saved him stumbled to where he was stuck to the ground. He was surprised to see Annabeth, her face was almost unreadable as she began to cut his arms and legs free of webbing. Percy was amazed that she had faced what terrified her the most and saved him. She helped him sit up and checked him over for injuries. Now that he could just look at her, he could see she was covered in dirt and scrapes, probably from the monster dragging her through the forest like a child with a blanket.

"Annabeth?" He asked.

"That was reckless of you." She finally spoke. "Choosing to save me over completing the mission as planned. You could have very well been trapped like I was."

Percy frowned, "Are you mad at me for saving you?"

Annabeth said nothing as she quickly wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. And this wasn't a hug out of desperation or fear, it was a genuine hug of gratitude. He gently wrapped her in his arms, mindful of his sore knuckles. After a long time she let him go and her steely resolve returned. Though her face was as white as a sheet.

She stood first then reached down to help him up. When she saw his already bruising knuckle she almost laughed, "Did you actually punch that thing?"

"The sword wasn't right for me, it didn't feel right." He told her. "I couldn't stab it well enough, I had to do something."

"You're crazy. Lets get the twins and see if there is a chance we can still win the-." Annabeth was cut off by the sound of a conch horn going off. Chiron's voice echoed around the room. The Titan team had won. "I guess they caught a lot of people."

"We can get them next time." Percy assured her with a smile. "After all we only lost because we didn't have our leader at the head of the group."

"Remind me to make sure that the Stolls are as far as possible from me during the next game."

The son of Poseidon laughed, "It's a promise."

"And-..." Annabeth began, but then gave him a kiss on the cheek instead of speaking. "Thanks for saving me."

She ran off before he could say anything else. Though if he had managed to say anything it probably would have been something stupid or silly. He held his cheek as he followed behind her and the twins back to the locker room. Percy wondered if he was blushing like a dork or if he managed to stay composed. If every game ended like this, Percy was sure he could get used to it. He was so preoccupied he hadn't noticed that he was being watched from the bushes...

**I am so sorry its taken me so long to update. I focused on Percy competing one task because he is new to the demigod world and Annabeth is probably one of the few friends he has on Olympus right now. I will try to write more chapters of the game with Percy and Annabeth both helping to defeat the 'Titan' army later on. I hope you liked this chapter. It's very fluffy and Percy is Annabeth's hero! Again I am sorry its been a while since I last updated. I really hope this chapter was good enough to make up for it.**


	12. Deadbeat Dad

**Hey guys, its been a bit since I last updated, but I'm proud to say I stayed up all Saturday night just to finish this chapter for you! I hope I've been keeping Percy and the others pretty much in character for you guys and I hope you are still enjoying the story even with my lagging updates, I'm hoping to get Sally's funeral in and more of my many plot points for you guys. Please REVIEW and give feedback!**

**Disclaimer, I do not own Percy Jackson all rights belong to Rick Riordan.**

After the events of the game, he and Annabeth had only gotten closer. She was such a great friend and she was going to help him with all of the things he had to learn. He felt as if they were the closest people on the planet, and then his old friend Grover finally managed to hang out with him which made everything better. The Sayter had shown up after their loss at the games and asked the two demigods if they wanted to go for a walk before it was time for dinner. Grover and Annabeth seemed to have been fairly good friends too.

"I couldn't believe what I had seen on the dryad cams." The half-goat remarked. "Clairesse had been searching all over for you, she literately fed this guy to a Draken when he couldn't give her the right answer."

"Wait she fed people to the monsters to find me?" Percy asked surprised by her actions. "And what are dryad cams?"

Annabeth smiled at Percy as they headed towards the bridge where Travis and Connor had taken him to on their night of the kitchen raid. "Yeah, we look over the battles to find out how we can improve, and it also deters anyone from getting overly violent during the game. The field is far too large to keep an eye on everyone."

Did feeding people to animatronics not count as overly violent?

"It also helps us Sayters find badly injured campers to take to the Apollo tent just outside of the field."

Percy listened as Grover told them about a particularly nasty burn that a son of Hermes had received. They veered away from the bridge and towards an almost garden like area of Olympus. It had masses of olive trees and other plants that Percy couldn't seem to recognize, they had to have been godly or something. The sweet sent that some of them gave off made him tempted to eat some of their fruit, but he figured it'd be best to keep out of trouble. Though he couldn't promise that trouble wouldn't find him.

Just as Percy's thoughts started to steer away from his friends he felt something hit him on the back of the head. He rubbed the protesting area and look behind him. A teenage girl with brown skin and dark curly hair giggled at him before rushing into the tree. Percy blinked twice when she had disappeared, though he couldn't seem to wrap his mind around it. Grover pat him on the shoulder,

"You alright, dude?"

"Yeah" He said as he turned his attention from the olive tree. "Something just hit me on the back of the head."

"Those Dryads, it means they think your cute." Grover laughed. "Take it as a complement. I can't remember the last time...uh...never mind."

The satyr no longer looked happy. Percy heard a distinct sniff and could see his friends lower lip begin to quiver. He was surprised that Grover was getting so up set out of the blue. The son of Poseidon looked to Annabeth for help, but she just smiled sadly at their friend and gave him a hug. Percy wanted to ask what had changed Grover's happy mood, it seemed like the poor guy was really upset. The look on Annabeth's face told him it wasn't the time to ask.

"Dinner is going to start soon." Grover finally spoke. "We probably should head to the dining hall."

Percy had never really had a chance to eat in the dining hall yet, he spent most of his meals eating in his room. He was surprised to find that the dining hall was stuffed with hundreds and thousands of campers, somehow the room seemed to hold them all with ease. Annabeth grabbed his hand before he could get too distracted and dragged him to a table where other blond kids were sitting. Grover followed them glumly, obviously still sore about what he had been thinking of earlier.

"So this is your new boyfriend that you had been telling us about." one of the older blond boys smirked and reached out to shake Percy's hand. "How do you do? My name is Malcolm. Annie here is my baby sister."

Annabeth blushed, "He's not my boyfriend, Mal! And don't call me 'Annie'."

"Sure he isn't." her brother teased. "By the way we saw that you went out of your way to help our sister. Thank you."

"It was no problem." Percy said. "I couldn't just leave her like that."

Another blond, a girl, giggled at his answer, "Not exactally the brightest, but loyalty is a virtue. Maybe you can wise him up Annie-dear."

"You guys are worse than Selena!"

At this point Percy felt less apart of their conversation and more like its topic. He looked to see if Grover was taking part in this, but the half-goat seemed more preoccupied with twirling his thumbs and sighing sadly. Poor kid, whatever was upsetting him had to be pretty big to get the normally chipper guy down. Just as Percy was going to try and distract his old friend, Malcolm grabbed his arm.

"In all seriousness Percy, we really do appreciate what you did for our sister." The older teen told him. "We all have, uh- sort of an arachnophobia I guess. So no matter who you turn out to be tomorrow, you will always have the trust and loyalty of the children of Athena."

Percy blinked, "Uh...thanks, man."

The children of Athena laughed at his response, but they eagerly offered the trio places to sit. In an instant, plates of food were being brought to them by the wind. Wind spirits to be more precise, Annabeth assured him that they didn't spill food on an unsuspecting camper too often. Percy ate like a starved man, who knew that fighting a giant robot spider would make one so hungry? Every so often Annabeth would look at him with her half-worried, half-disgusted scowl, but he couldn't bring himself to care too much.

"Hey I was meaning to ask you." Percy began after washing down his food with blue _Coke-a-Cola_. "Why do the tables all have names of the gods on them."

Annabeth smiled softly, "At Camp Half-blood we usually sat with our siblings for dinner, but at the Roman camp they sat with their cohorts or cabin mates. For the sake of everyone's sanity it was decided that you could sit where ever you want. Though the tables still have a god's or goddesses' name written on them out of respect, also siblings seem to gravitate to each other regardless."

"Makes sense."

Just as dinner was drawing to a close someone came behind him and covered his eyes. He could smell the familiar perfume and almost see her smile despite not being face to face with her. Despite how annoying he found it when she tried to play 'match-maker' with him and Annabeth, Percy couldn't help but grin at her presence. She giggled cutely and whispered in his ear, "Guess who."

"Hey Selena." Percy greeted. She freed his sight and scooted in between him and Annabeth. Annabeth was almost as red as a fire hydrant because of the action, Selena didn't seem to notice her 'intrusion'.

The daughter of Aphrodite flipped her hair over her shoulder and beamed brightly, "So I'm going to have to wake you early tomorrow. We have to make sure you look extra cute for when you meet my mother-and the other gods of course- I bet your dad would appreciate you dressing up for the occasion as well."

"Do you need my help?" Annabeth asked.

"No." Selena dismissed the other girl easily. "He _i__sn't_ _your_ boyfriend after all, and besides I want him to myself tomorrow morning."

Suddenly Annabeth's face went from bright red to its normal coloring, "Oh, I see what you're trying to do. I'm not going to fall for it Pretty Girl, so you can forget it! See you tomorrow at the ceremony Percy. Goodnight."

Percy watched as his friend stormed out of the room, her siblings snickers following her as she went. He didn't understand what had just happened or what exactally Annabeth was implying that Selena was doing. Heck, he was still stuck on the fact the daughter of Aphrodite was going to wake him up early in the morning. Selena pouted for a moment towards the direction Annabeth had left, but soon her bubbly nature returned. She immediately offered to show Percy back to his room so he could get 'extra beauty sleep'. Percy didn't have time to protest when she grabbed his arm. He had just managed to say goodnight to poor Grover before he was dragged away.

The whole walk back to his room, Selena messed with his newly cut hair and tried to find the right 'style' for it. Every so often she'd curse at how wild and untamable it could be. He felt horrified when she tried to suggest that he let her wet it and put his hair in curlers before he went to bed to give his hair 'extra volume'. Percy was grateful when he saw his room come into sight. After repeatedly rejecting going to bed with any sort of object tangled in his hair, Selena finally let him go and get ready to sleep.

* * *

_Come to me, Little Hero...Be a good boy and betray the gods, betray them all like they have you...I'm waiting...little prince..._

_Come to me..._

_ Come to me..._

_ Come to me..._

_Percy Jackson!_

* * *

Percy woke with a yelp. For a brief moment he thought he was home and that his mom would come rushing in, demanding to know if he was okay. Then he remembered that he wasn't in fact home, he was in a room on Olympus. Percy tried to shove the voice from his dreams out of his head, but it kept a hold on him like a vice. He wasn't sure what to make of the dream, if it could be called that, it was like someone had been standing over his bed and whispering to him as he slept. The demigod shuddered violently.

Betray the gods? Percy frowned, maybe they weren't that good, but he didn't think he could betray them because he'd also be betraying Annabeth, Grover, Selena, all of the people he had met on Olympus. Even his own mom to some extent. She wouldn't have fallen in love with one if she didn't see something special in them. Percy shook his head and tried to fall back to sleep. Thankfully he didn't have anymore voices whispering in his head, but all too soon Selena, the ever beautiful demigoddess she was, barged into his room.

She scowled when she saw his weary face, "I told you to get some beauty sleep, Percy. It looks like you went out to fight Clairesse again."

"Sorry, I...didn't sleep very well." Percy explained trying not to be cranky with the girl.

"Nightmare?" Selena asked softly. He nodded, "It's fine Percy, we all get them. I'm just sorry you don't have anyone around to help you."

Percy gave a rueful laugh and without thinking sighed, "For half a second I had thought my mom would come bursting in...but...anyway what exactally are you going to do to me?"

The first thing Selena did was pull him close and give him a hug. It was more than a friendship hug, but it was in no way romantic. She held him as if he were a child, years younger than herself. Percy could feel her hands cupping the back of his head and neck protectively, her whole being providing him with a warmth he hadn't felt since his mom had last hugged him. He could feel his throat catch but he quickly swallowed the lump before it could cause an outward reaction. Percy buried his face into Selena's shoulder and ruefully aloud himself to accept her comfort.

She then began to play with the hair on the back of his head a little, spurring him back into reality. Selena smiled brightly at him and he couldn't help but give her a soft smile back. He found it hard to believe that Selena had become so close of a friend that he could be comfortable with her being almost a motherly, or big sister presence. Her lack of subtlety had seemed to win his friendship.

"So I was thinking that we leave your hair how it is because wild and messy is cute." Selena began and then pulled some clothing from a bag she had set by his bed. "I almost wanted to put you in a tux, but I figured that you'd appreciate normal clothing so put this on."

Without giving him time to talk she had already shoved him into the bathroom to clean up and change. In no time he was out and dressed in the clothing Selena had chosen. He was wearing lightly colored blue jeans and a dark grey T-shirt with a black jacket that went over it. He frowned for a moment when he realized that she wasn't trying to justify her choice by saying that it popped his eye color or something. Selena smiled like an evil mastermind whose plan had just come to fruition.

"It's perfect, just perfect."

As soon as the daughter of Aphrodite had put the finishing touches on her 'master piece', she took Percy by the arm and led him to the throne room. She'd ask him about his dream and asked if he had anything out of the ordinary. Percy wasn't sure what would count as 'ordinary' in the demigod world, all he knew was that it was scary to think about the voice that beckoned for him. Selena assured him it was alright if his dream scared him while she tried to start another war with his unruly hair. Despite what she had said earlier that morning, she still seemed determined to make it do what she commanded.

By the time they arrived at the throne room doors, Percy was almost positive his hair was sticking on end from her constant prodding.

"I give up." She sighed.

"Well you kind of have to." Percy pointed at the doors, "we're here, aren't we?"

Suddenly the doors swung open and Percy was blinded by a harsh light. Percy could see some curious demigods peaking at them from the risers that were on either side of the door door. Apparently everyone had to be at the ceremony for his godly parent to be announced. Selena expertly grabbed him by the arm and led him to the center of the room. The son of Poseidon was shocked to see twelve monumentally sized thrones, but only eleven were filled with giant men and women. He couldn't have hoped to know who each of them were, though he some how knew that the one in the shorts and Hawaiian shirt was his dad. Percy tried to read the large man's expression though to Percy it was like trying to read cursive. Selena tugged on his arm and pointed out the prettiest goddess in the room.

"That's my mom." She smiled and waved for her mother's attention.

The goddess's reaction was instantaneous. She gave a familiar squeak of joy and shrank in a puff of pink smoke to meet him and her daughter. Percy felt his cheeks turn red when Aphrodite had grabbed his face and inspected him thoroughly. She looked like many different women at once, at one time like his mom, and then like some news anchor he had liked, another time like Rachel Dare from his high school, and then like a certain daughter of Athena he knew. The blond hair and grey eyes seemed to stick with her for a long time.

"This boy is so cute!" the goddess shrieked and hugged him. Percy could hear snickers or whistles of agreement coming from somel of the demigods behind him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was my own child. Heck, maybe he has some love Goddess genes in him somewhere. So which of you manly men created such a beautiful boy?"

"Uh..." Percy felt himself dumfounded by the woman. He wasn't exactally sure why all of the girls he had been meeting were referring to him as cute or handsome, and now beautiful?

"Aphrodite, please, you know this isn't how we conduct this ceremony!" The god in the center groaned. "Take your seat!"

The love goddess huffed in an annoyed tone, "Fine, Zeus, I'll play by your rules, but I am going to claim him if no one else does."

"Now." Zeus began and cleared his throat. "you've already met Aphrodite. I am Zeus, King of the gods."

"More like the king of drama, brother." Poseidon teased and sent a secrete glance to Percy, almost as if he were trying to make the teen smile. Percy would begrudgingly admit that he did a little. "I am Poseidon, lord of the seas and many other titles that I won't bore you with right now."

One of the younger looking goddesses scowled at him before speaking, "I am Artimus, goddess of the hunt and moon, boy. This moron next to me is my twin brother Apollo."

"Hey, little sis, I wanted to do my own intro to the little dude." Apollo protested indignantly, Percy hadn't expected the Sun God to be like a surfer dude or something. "And you didn't even give him my title as the god of awesomeness and other cool stuff, like poems."

"I am not your little sister." Artimus growled and wacked him. "We're twins, we are the same age. Also, please don't try to recite your annoying poems during the boy's ceremony."

Another god, who didn't look like much of a god laughed at the two, "Hey, kid, I'm Hermes the messenger god, I'm pretty sure you're acquainted with my sons Travis and Connor."

"Yo Perce!" Said twins called from behind him. Percy figured it would be best not to turn his back to the gods to address them.

"Despite what Aphrodite said, if your father doesn't claim you I'd be happy for you to be apart of my group." The Stoll twins cheered at that comment and called for Percy to 'join the dark side' because of some sweet treat or other.

The demigod half thought Poseidon bristled at all comments given by Hermes and his sons, but than again it may have been Percy's imagination. He learned the names of the remaining gods and goddesses. Hephaestus the forge god, Hera the goddess of marriage, Dionysus god of wine who seemed less than thrilled to meet him, Athena goddess of wisdom and Annabeth's mom, and Demeter goddess of wheat and harvest. Percy wondered about the last chair, the empty one, but he figured that it was better not to mention the white elephant in the room.

"So, boy," Zeus bellowed. "Who are you?"

Percy knew it was best if he bowed, even if he felt silly and stupid for doing it, "I am Percy Jackson, my mother was Sally Jackson."

"Do you know who your immortal parent is, Percy?" Zeus spat. Percy briefly wondered if the god was bothered by his name. "Well, speak up."

Percy slowly looked at the god, he didn't really think he could be respectful for too long, but for his sake he tried to sound as respectful as he could when he spoke, "Yes, lord Zeus, I've known who my father was since the day my mother was murdered by her husband."

The demigod almost felt as if everyone in the room had leaned forward. Percy figured that it was rude of him to tip toe around admitting his parentage, but his goal wasn't to be subtle in the slightest. Percy wanted to hear Poseidon say for himself that he was in fact his son. He didn't want to be accepted by his dad because Poseidon was told he couldn't just drop his unwanted child off onto another god's lap. If Poseidon didn't want to claim him, he won't say anything.

"So are you going to tell us who he is child?" Hera asked in an annoyed tone.

"No my lady." Percy admitted, biting back any anger in his voice. "I want him to come forth and claim me. If he doesn't, I'll gladly take Hermes or Aphrodite up on their offer."

The son of Poseidon could feel Zeus's anger and annoyance at what he probably thought was a game to Percy. "Just tell us who he is, boy!"

"If my father won't come forward and claim me then he doesn't want me. And I can understand that. I'm not much more than a poor boy who hasn't had a brake once in his life. If he doesn't come forward and claim me, then I could live with knowing he just never cared about me, though I don't think I could forgive him for making my mom into another conquest to be won." Percy began. "My mom used to go on and on about how great of a man he was, she'd tell me that he loved me and her too. I only want to know if the man that she'd tell me about was real or if he was just a myth like he had always been."

There was a long silence in the room, it was agonizing for Percy to be kneeling on the floor like an idiot trying to invoke a response from his supposed father. Percy bit his lip and looked to the cream colored marble floor. He hated making himself seem so vulnerable, he hated feeling as if he were everything people told him he was. Eventually the quiet was like a ringing in his ear, too annoying and antagonizing to listen too.

"I see..." Percy muttered evenly and got to his feet without looking up. "If you will excuse me..."

The son of P- could he even be known as the son of Poseidon when the man didn't even want to claim him? Percy began to stride from the center of the room and retreat to the door. Selena was standing by the edge of the risers almost looking like she was about to cry, to cry for him. The teen could almost sense Annabeth's eyes staring at him from above. Percy couldn't bring himself to listen to the gasps that erupted through out the room or to hear the sound of water rushing through the air like a whip.

"Perseus." Poseidon said his full first name and rested his hand on the teen's shoulder. "Please forgive my hesitance to claim you, especially when you would probably prefer your mother over me at any given moment. Your mother wasn't just a 'conquest'. I loved her more than I had any other mortal, I will never be able to find a finer woman than Sally Jackson. And Percy, you are my son, I will always love you too. I haven't had a mortal child in a long time, so I'm kind of rusty on the ethics."

"So you are going to admit I'm your son?" Percy couldn't hide the surprise that was in his voice. He turned to face his father, Poseidon smiled and for a moment Percy felt as if he were looking into a mirror many years in the future.

"Yes." The sea god gave a small chuckle. More gasp erupted when a green image, a trident, appeared over the young demigod's head. "You know when you were talking back to my dear brother, your uncle, you reminded me of your mother. It seems as if you got her fire, didn't you? To think you were just an infant when I last saw you."

"So you are claiming the boy." There was a certain dangerous tone that was in Zeus's voice that made the hairs on Percy's arms stand on end.

"Yes brother, and before you try to order my son's execution, may I remind you that you had broken the oath _two_ times to my mere one." Poseidon growled. "In fact one of your children is sitting in this very room."

Athena spoke up, "He has a point father both boys are too dangerous. But to destroy one means you must destroy the other."

"Mother!" Percy heard Annabeth's appalled voice.

Zeus scowled down at the son of Poseidon. "Very well Percy Jackson, you may live, but it would do you well to stay on my good side."

With those final words, the god of the sky disappeared in a flash of light and a crack of lightning. The other gods followed suit, muttering something about the sky god's usual dramatics. Aphrodite smiled and gave the sea god a thumbs up before proofing away. Percy could briefly hear the demigods chattering excitably as they too stood to leave the room.

Poseidon laughed, "Well, we know she approves. I'm sure the only Olympians you should be concerned about are my brother and Athena, Percy. The others are a lot more accepting."

"Thanks for the advice." Percy looked down awkwardly at their shoes. He was wearing sneakers that Selena had gotten him and his dad was wearing sandals that were strapped on with Velcro. The sight was almost laughable to the teen. How could he make their first meeting any less awkward? Percy hadn't thought he would have gotten as far as he did with the whole process.

"One more bit of advice," Poseidon whispered to him. "You may want to apologize to the daughter of Athena that you are so infatuated with for not telling her who your father was."

Just as Percy was going to argue with his dad and set the record strait that he was not in love with Annabeth, someone grabbed Percy by the collar of the shirt. He didn't even get a chance to struggle as they dragged him away. He stumbled uselessly as his captor pulled him farther and farther from Poseidon.

"Sorry, lord Poseidon, borrowing him for a bit." Annabeth called without looking behind herself. Percy wasn't able to see the expression on her face. In that single moment Percy was more scared for his life than he had ever been. He reached out pleadingly for Selena who just smirked and waved goodbye at him. So much for their bonding moment earlier that morning. She was literally letting him be dragged to his death.

**I know that it may have gotten a little bit out of character towards the end, but we all know Poseidon is a cool god. And with Jason around he won't have to 'apologize' too much to his brother for his 'mistake'. I will show more father son awkwardness later on, for now Annabeth has insisted that she chew Percy out for lying the whole time :) Will she avoid him? or accept him? Any way I hope you enjoyed this extra long chapter. Please review and tell me what you thought. **


	13. Wisdoms Wrath

**First of all I'd like to say I hope you had a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, ect and that you have a happy new year! So last time we left off, Annabeth was dragging Percy away. Now here is the next chapter. Please read, review, and enjoy. **

**Disclaimer, I don't own Percy Jackson all rights belong to Rick Riordan**

"Fight me!" Annabeth shouted at Percy.

She had dragged him from the throne room all the way to the arena. The anger on her face could rival that of Nancy Bobfits when he sent her on her butt. Annabeth charged at him with her blade aiming for a hit. For the most part he was able to dodge the more hazardous blows, but she had given him some pretty good cuts on his arms and legs. On top of the cuts, he had bruises forming all over from her kicking him. Percy hadn't realized that she'd be this mad at him for not telling her that he was a son of Poseidon. Annabeth screamed again when he continued to avoid her rather than fight, but with how fiercely she was attacking him, he was sure he'd have to change his tactic soon.

Percy jumped back in time to avoid getting the front of his shirt sliced open. "I didn't think that it would be that big of a deal."

"Oh, you didn't think being a child of the sea god was a big deal?" The blond teen shouted at him. "Do you even know what that means?"

"That I shouldn't exists? Yeah, Jason told me all about it a couple nights ago." The son of Poseidon muttered bitterly. "I still don't see why you're so mad about it?"

"You idiot, Kelp headed, Seaweed Brain!"

Percy flushed at the insults. He was absolutely lost on where Annabeth's anger was coming from. Somehow, while they fought, he managed to do a summer sault and kick the blade from her hand. The teen would later learn he had his ADHD to thank for that. Percy was relived, thinking that maybe they could finally have a rational conversation without the use of weapons.

Annabeth wasn't having that she tackled him to the ground like a panther catching its prey. The teen expected her to punch him, but instead she sat on his chest and pinned his arms above his head. Percy was briefly reminded of when he fought the arachnid animatronic the night before. She glared at him with two beautiful stormy, grey eyes rather than multiple black ones. Suddenly, Percy realized the purpose of him wearing a dark grey shirt. It matched her eyes.

"Why did you lie to me?" she sounded less angry and more hurt. "If I had known you were a son of Poseidon, I would never have..."

Percy scowled, "Never have what?"

"Become your friend."

To say Percy felt hurt was an understatement. She would have rejected him off the bat because of who his father was? It didn't make any sense to him, even less so when she went on about some stupid feud that their parents had going. They were all pushed from their homes and needed to cooperate more than ever, but they were still holding onto millennium old grudges. Percy tried to squirm out from under her, Annabeth instead held his wrist even tighter.

"What does a stupid fight between our parents have to do with us?" Percy demanded. "It's rather silly that someone like you would let something like that stop us from being friends. I thought you were wise."

"I am wise, even more so because I am a girl." Annabeth leaned closer to him. "Unlike you, Seaweed Brain."

"You sound rather childish to me, Wise Girl." The son of Poseidon let his head rest heavily on the sandy ground. "Now can you get up before you squish me to death?"

The daughter of Athena went red and let him go immediately, "I thought you were a son of Zeus..."

Percy wondered where that comment came from as he inspected the cuts he had all over his body. He let out a scoff when he realized that he got hurt faster than he healed. That girl did have a temper on her, though he did have to admit that lying to her face wasn't the best way to get her trust. Annabeth stood and helped him to his feet, Percy winced as the cuts and bruise protested bitterly.

"Why did you think I was a son of Zeus?" He asked. She began to walk him to the exit of the arena.

Annabeth shrugged and inspected each of the wounds she gave him, "Well he's broken the oath twice already and you remind me of...never mind."

"Remind you of who?"

"Listen, you've got a long way to go before you have earned hearing any of my story Seaweed Brain, don't think that I forgive you for lying just because I decided to go easy on you." She scolded him. "I hate when people betray my trust..."

They had reached the exit and she walked him over to the fountain and made him sit. He had no idea what he was in store for when she suddenly pushed him over and into the water. As he expected, he got soaked completely, but the water seemed to take away the soreness he felt. Percy indignantly stood up in the knee deep water and glared at Annabeth. She smiled innocently and pointed at his arms.

"Just testing a theory." Annabeth told him. He looked down at the now fading scars. "It looks like I was right."

Percy's eyebrows scrunched together, "I don't understand."

"You're a son of the sea god, it makes sense that you can be healed by the water, dork." she laughed and helped him from the fountain.

"So do you still hate me?" Percy asked and tried not to think about Selena getting angry at him for destroying the clothing.

Annabeth cupped her chin in though, "I suppose not, after all you did save me the other night. But you still have a to earn my trust again."

"I think I can manage that." He smiled.

* * *

Unlike Annabeth, it seemed like everyone else wanted to avoid him more than before. The Stoll twins were even afraid to get close to him and every so often he'd notice Jason glaring at him. Annabeth told Percy it was because Jason's fatal flaw was hubris and he didn't like to be overshadowed. Percy couldn't see how he was overshadowing the other teen, his cousin, in any way, but he decided not to say anything more about the subject. As for the others, she said they had to get used to having a second child of the big three among them.

"My siblings may be harder to convince about being friends with you more than I am." Annabeth smirked.

"So the 'no matter who your father is' line excludes my dad?" Percy frowned. "Well that's just hypocritical. So why did you accept me so 'easily'?"

"You're different than what I expected a son of Poseidon to be." She admitted. "Besides, you were my friend before you were a son of Poseidon, I guess you were right when you said it be stupid to let this revelation make it any different. Just don't make me regret my choice."

Percy blushed, "Yeah, I'm sorry for not telling you, its just, I haven't had many friends in my life. Maybe two close ones tops. Grover would be one of them."

"Really?" Annabeth's features softened. "I kind of know what its like, I didn't have any friends until I was seven. Even then I lost those two friends before I was even thirteen."

"What happened?"

"One died protecting us." She scowled at the ground. "The other, he may as well be dead."

Percy scratched his head, "I take it he's the reason you didn't take my fib too well."

She didn't answer him as she dragged him to one of the abandon tables in the dining hall. Their 'fight' had extended into breakfast and he could see many of the other demigods already leaving the room. Malcolm walked over to the two of them, if his reaction to Poseidon being his dad was anywhere similar to how Annabeth reacted, Percy was sure that there was going to be some argument about him staying away from to older boy's sister. He checked his friends face to see if she was on edge, despite her calm expression, Percy could see a certain calculating look in her eyes. Malcolm sat with a heavy sigh,

"Look, you're a son of Poseidon." He began. "Under normal circumstances that would mean that we all would rather avoid you, but for a son of the sea god, you're not half bad."

"Meaning?" Percy asked.

Malcolm rolled his grey eyes, "Meaning, we're watching you, but most of us will reserve our judgment. But listen Jackson, if you hurt our sister...well, she'll kick your butt from one side of Olympus to the other and back."

"I already know." The son of Poseidon laughed and pointed to his shredded shirt. "She tried to kill me not too long ago."

"That's my Annie." Malcolm teased his sister and gave her hair a quick ruffle. "See you guys later."

Annabeth huffed indignantly just as their breakfasts arrived. Percy wolfed down his eggs and bacon faster than Gabe could seven layer bean dip. He was kind of surprised that he was so hungry. A goblet of orange juice was set in front of him by the wind spirit along with a batch of blue pancakes. It was almost as if the invisible chiefs had been reading his thoughts.

"What's with all of the blue?" Annabeth nodded to the blue stack.

"It's a reminder that anything is possible." He told her. "And it keeps me close to my mom. She'd make me blue things all of the time. Gabe and she got into an argument over the idea of blue foods, he had called me stupid when I asked to eat something blue. He said blue food didn't exist."

"How old were you?" The daughter of Athena asked.

Percy squinted in thought, "Maybe six, six and a half."

"Jerk." She blurted. At first Percy thought she meant him, but then he realized she was referring to Gabe. "The idiot was wrong and on top of that he tried to attack your self-esteem."

"Well if it makes you feel any better he caused his own death." The dark haired teen told her. "He died trying to kill..."

Percy paused, the sound of gun going off and could almost see his obese step father towering over him. The stench of metal and blood and beer filling his nostrils. He could almost vividly see his mother's lifeless blue eyes as she died. The son of Poseidon felt as if he were wounded on the grimy floor of his mom's apartment rather than sitting at a table having breakfast with a friend. Percy pinched his arm to bring himself back to the present, to Annabeth. The small sore spot let him pull himself from his living nightmare.

Annabeth placed a hand on his shoulder, "Trying to kill who?"

"Me."

"I'm sorry about your mom Percy, that you had to go through that." she returned her eyes to her half empty plate. "Have...have you heard anything about...what's going to happen with your mom now? Do you know?"

The teen once again felt as if the weight of the world was falling on his shoulders. Percy knew that he probably didn't have much time before Paul was forced to go ahead and have his mom buried. Percy knew if he missed his mom's funeral, missed his chance to say goodbye, he'd regret it for the rest of his life. It was just...the teen couldn't bring himself to even think about her death.

"Look Percy, my friend who died, I wasn't given much of a chance to say goodbye to her." Annabeth told him. "I didn't get much closure either, I used to visit the very spot where she died all of the time, but ever since the Titan army over took the camp I haven't been able to visit her in years. You, you have a chance to see your mom one last time."

Every word she spoke seemed to hit home for him, Annabeth sounded like she meant every word that she said. Percy felt as if he could tell Annabeth anything and that she would understand because she also suffered the same loss. The daughter of Athena grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight. Her fingers were warm and they seemed to send a wave of energy up his arm.

"She meant a lot to me, you know." he told Annabeth. "I'm pretty sure she was the one person who cared about me the most, and for a lot of my life I was sure she was the only one who'd ever care."

His friend bit her lip and looked torn about what she was going to say next, "Percy, Chiron told me...he told me that the funeral is going to happen the day after tommrow. You need to make up your mind, are you going to go?"

Suddenly Percy was no longer hungry, in fact, he was positive that he was going to throw up. He couldn't believe that this all was rushing up on him so quickly. The teen wanted to scream until his voice was horsed. Why did the centur send Annabeth to give him this message? Percy looked at his blond friend with burning eyes, she seemed like she wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know how. The son of Poseidon numbly slid himself off of the bench, away from Annnabeth.

"Percy, I understand what you're going through." She slid off of the bench more fluidly than him. "And I also understand that you _need_ to go! If not for yourself then for her."

The dark haired teen felt his knees becoming weak, the images that had haunted him just moments before came rolling back like a dark storm cloud. Percy felt as if he were suffocating on the stench of his former home, the stench of death. He shook his head and dispelled some of the images, he would not show weakness, he would not let those demons make him look pathetic in front of Annabeth. Suddenly a pair of hands grabbed his face, it was Annabeth.

"Do you keep having flash backs?" There was a certain tone in her voice that made him think that she thought he was deathly ill. "Percy, are you seeing that night over and over?"

Percy pried her fingers off his jaw, "It's no big deal Annabeth, I'm fine. They don't happen that often anyway."

"Like Hades it's no big deal." She shouted. "This is not something you should brush off lightly Percy! You're a kid and your mother was murdered in front of you. And now her funeral is coming up! You had been shot yourself. You've been through more tragic events in one week than most people experience in their whole lives."

"I'm FINE, okay!" His voice rose too, he didn't need her to coddle him or look at him like he was some wounded animal. "Just forget it! There is nothing wrong with me."

Before she had a chance to snap back at him he was already leaving the dining hall. His brisk walk soon became a run, he didn't know how long he could avoid her, but he figured he could lose her long enough for them both to cool down. Percy soon found himself back at his room, he almost laughed when he saw the fish in the tanks bumping into each other just to get a glimpse of him. If he were any other type of person, Percy probably would have gotten an inflated ego at the sight, but he only felt lonely, even with the multiple prying eyes.

Percy let out an groan when he thought about how he had shouted at Annabeth. He flopped face first onto the silky sheets of the bed, the fabric was cool and soft, a lot more luxurious than he was used to. Most of the blankets Percy had at home were old sheets and pre-owned blankets that were scratchy and uncomfortable, and on top of his old wire mattress they were just down right torturous on bare skin. Percy stuffed his arms between the feather filled pillow and the bed as he let himself calm down. He felt bad about yelling at Annabeth when she was just trying to help him.

_What do you think is wrong with the young lord?_

Percy quickly lifted his head and searched the room for the source of the voice. He saw nothing except the usual scenery of the room his father had provided him with. The fish continued to stare at him intently, it was a wonder that Percy ever got to sleep with so many watching him. Percy shrugged, figuring he was just hearing things again, and he pressed his face back into his pillow. More soft whispers of concern reached his ears, Percy stuffed his head under his pillow, but he could still hear them just as clearly as he could without his failing noise muffler.

"Whose there?" He demanded and moved from under the pillow. "I know you're hiding somewhere."

"And you say you don't need my help..." The son of Poseidon heard Annabeth's voice behind him. She was standing at the door way, the blond didn't look mad or even annoyed. Annabeth walked towards him and sat at the end of his bed. "So have you gotten all of the shouting out of your system."

He blinked at her as he sat up, "I think I've got a scream or two still left in my system."

Annabeth ran her fingers along the silk blankets and let her grey eyes wander to his green ones. Percy could feel an apology bubbling just behind his teeth, she didn't deserve to be shouted at when she was helping him. That was all she had been doing ever since he had arrived at Olympus. The dark haired teen couldn't understand what he had done to get her to be so kind to him. She gave him a soft smile that seemed to make her whole being more vibrant in color and beautiful.

_Woe, back it up Jackson, _Percy mentally slapped himself.

"I'm sorry." Annabeth began. "I shouldn't have pushed you so hard."

Percy couldn't believe that she was apologizing to him, "I should be the one saying sorry to you. You were just trying to help and I snapped."

"You know if you want, I can go with you." She continued. "To the funeral. I can be there for your moral support. So how about it Seaweed brain?"

"I think, that's a plan." He agreed.

Annabeth blushed and then looked back at her fingers that continued to play with the silky bed sheets, "And I am a good listener if you ever need to talk. They say talking helps."

Percy really couldn't help but feel grateful to Annabeth, part of him wanted to blab about every thing he had ever gone through in his life. The rest of him wanted to ask about hers. He knew she wasn't going to be easy to open up, but if she was willing to give her time to him, he was willing to do the same for her.

"Thank you, Wise girl."

**I figured that this chapter was the perfect time to introduce their nick names for each other! I believe my next chapter will be the funeral scene. If you have any suggestions, tips, or just some good old reviews please do so. Thank you guys for reading.**


	14. Sally

**What's up Percy Jackson fans? How have you all been? If you're happy about another chapter then you might not feel as chipper when you read this one. We have finally reached the moment we've both expected and dreaded...Sally Jackson's funeral. This chapter takes place just after the last one. Please send Percy your condolences in your reviews.**

**Disclaimer, I don't own Percy Jackson all rights belong to Rick Riordan.**

With Annabeth's constant prodding Percy finally called up Paul using a phone Chiron provided him with. The teen remembered trembling so badly that he almost dropped the phone onto the floor. As soon as Paul had heard his voice the man started worrying, demanding to know where Percy had been for the last few days. _'Do you know how terrified I was? I lost Sally and then you...'_. For the longest time Percy remained quiet, letting Paul ramble on sadly about how much he cared about both Percy and his mom.

"Percy, I tried to hold off the funeral, but it's coming up soon..." Paul continued on softly. "I can hardly imagine what you're going through, and when you disappeared for so long I thought I had lost you as well."

The son of Poseidon rocked nervously on his heels, trying to focus on what his English teacher was saying while also trying not to collapse in a messy heap on the ground. Paul started questioning Percy when the teen hadn't said anything. Every question asked went unanswered. It was almost as if Percy's lips had been sewn tightly shut with a needle and thread. Each time he tried to open his mouth Percy found that he could not. Paul asked something about how bad the pain in Percy's arm was from the gun shot wound.

Percy knew that Paul was only interested in knowing his health, but Percy could see flashes of his mother's dying face, the color leaving her skin, the sound of her last breath. He bit his lip trying to keep his hiccupping hidden and silent. The marbled world around him suddenly seemed to grow infinitely larger. Percy pressed his free hand over his eyes, as if the action would quell the tears or protect him from the troubles surrounding him. He hadn't realized his legs had given up on him until he felt himself hunching over and curled up on the floor, his back was pressed up against the cold wall.

"I...I'm...alive Paul." Percy murmured into the phone. He kept his hand pressed into his face. "I'll be at the funeral...where is it?"

Paul told him rather rushed before trying to ask again if Percy was alright, Percy interrupted him, "Okay, bye..."

The teen hardly bothered to hang up the phone before he wrapped both his arms around his legs and pressed his face into his knees. Percy didn't know how long he had been sitting, apparently it had been long enough to make him fall asleep because the next thing he knew he was back in his room. Someone had carried him there and tucked him into the blankets on the bed. Percy blearily sat up and looked around the room, despite the luxurious comforts, he didn't feel like he was home or safe, not like he had when his mom was alive.

"It's not a wise idea to fall asleep in the hallway, Percy." Poseidon seemed to materialize from nowhere. He came and sat at the end of the teen's bed. "Those son's of Hermes will take any chance they can get to pull a prank, even if it is on the son of Poseidon."

Percy looked sadly over to the fish tanks where the fish seemed to be swimming slowly to match his mood, "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

Poseidon laughed slightly and looked as if he wanted to comfort the teen in some way, but Percy was grateful that the god hadn't tried to hug him or something. It would have been too weird despite how badly Percy could have used one. The sea god didn't seem to know what to do with a heartbroken kid. Percy wondered if his dad would say anything about the funeral. For a moment he even thought about having Poseidon come with him to say goodbye, it would be a start to fixing their dysfunctional relationship.

"I understand, losing a loved one does take a toll on you physically." Poseidon sympathized, his green eyes reflecting years of pain and loss to Percy. "I've watched my children, your siblings, die either painfully or of natural causes. Your mothers death has been the most painful thing I've experienced in a long time...I truly did mean it when I told you I loved her."

"Then come to the funeral." Percy told the sea god and smiled slightly when he remembered the wistful look she'd get on her face when she talked about his dad. "I know she'd love it if you came."

The sea god frowned slightly, "I'm afraid, I'd draw too much attention to you Percy. Monsters will already be attracted to your sent, me being there with you will only put you in more danger."

Percy had a feeling that his dad's refusal to come was more than just for his safety. The pain in the god's eyes had become even more visible to the teen, Percy then realized that Poseidon wasn't ready to say goodbye either. It was weird for Percy to be able to tell that despite just meeting his dad earlier that day. Though Poseidon's visible anguish had just made the man seem less like an aloof god and more like an actual human. Poseidon gave Percy's smaller hand a squeeze before the he began to leave.

"You might want to go and get your dinner." The sea king called over his shoulder. "You slept through lunch."

And with those final words, Percy was once again alone in his large and lonely room. He thought about going back to sleep but his growling stomach ordered him to go and get some food. The teen begrudgingly did.

* * *

The days leading up to the funeral had passed too quickly for Percy's liking. He woke up that morning to find a tuxedo had been hung over the edge of his bed, Percy figured that maybe Selena had decided to set it out for him while he had been sleeping. Percy clumsily went around his room, combing his hair, brushing his teeth, washing his face and getting dressed. He refused breakfast because he was sure he was going to throw up whatever he ate. By the time he was ready to go the rest of his small group had arrived to go with him.

Annabeth was the first one he noticed. She wore a black dress that came just below her knee and her curly hair had been brought up into a bun. Grover was wearing a tux and he had somehow managed to tame his curly head of hair. Chiron, who was in his wheel chair, also wearing a suit and tie. The three of them insisted that they were going to come with him and Percy felt grateful that they were coming.

The service was outdoors in a large cemetery, the field was crowded with tombstones, and nestled in a small area was an open coffin that had yet to be lowered into the ground. Percy felt himself become frozen, but Annabeth grabbed his arm and led him to where Paul stood waiting. As soon as Percy was within arms reach Paul pulled the teen in for a back braking hug and he refused to let go for the longest time. Percy could smell the typical cologne that Paul wore as his face was pressed into the fabric of the man's tux.

Finally he released the teen, "Who are they?"

"I run a home for teens, like Percy here, who were in need of a safe place to stay." Chiron lied smoothly as he held out his hand. "My name is Mike Brunner, it's nice to meet you Mr. Blowfis."

The teen tuned out the rest of their conversation, he felt his legs unconsciously take him to the beautiful oak coffin where his mother was resting. Percy's whole body began to quiver like a leaf caught in a gale. Gale's bullets had killed, but they hadn't maimed her. The boy was greatful to be able look upon her peaceful face one last time. Even in death she was a beautiful woman. His mom was wearing a navy blue blazer and skirt, the undershirt she wore was stark white aganst the color and her hair had been set gently around her. Over where her heart was, Sally Jackson had a silly little macaroni necklace that Percy had made for her when he was little. Some of the elbow noodles were colored blue because he had insisted that his teacher let him paint some and in the center of all the noodles was a seashell that Percy had looped onto the string.

Percy felt his throat catch when he remembered the shell was from their last trip to Montauk

He looked back at the modest group of guest, it was just him, Paul, Annabeth, Grover, and Chiron, the sermon hadn't arrived yet. Other than the five of them the graveyard was pretty vacant of mourners crying over lost loved ones. Percy thought painfully about how lonely his mom's final goodbye was, he reached into the coffin and grabbed her cold hand as if it were a consolation to the meager service. She was the kind of person whose death should have brought the world quaking in tears. Sally Jackson deserved to be mourned like a celebrity, not as something insignificant like a squashed bug.

Percy tried not to cry, he really did, but the flood gates that he had been struggling to keep shut opened at full force. His mom deserved so much more. He sobbed more than he had when he had fallen off his bike and scraped his knee badly, he cried even more than he had when he was kicked out of his first school, when bullies and teachers had called him dumb and useless. The teen was willing to take on any number of bullies if it meant that he could have his mom back. Despite being blinded with loss, agony, and loneliness, Percy remembered the Drachmas Annabeth had given him. She said that they would guarantee his mom safe passage across the river Styx and to the afterlife.

"I...It's not m..much." Percy stuttered as he placed the three coins in her limp hand and pressed them into her palm. "Heck, they're not even from me exactally, but Annabeth says they will give you favor with Charon. I...I'm sorry it's not much..."

More sobs continued to hit him like lightning strikes. He had to grip the side of the coffin to keep himself upright. Percy wasn't sure if it was sorrow that had been building up since her death or if it was all of the miserable moments in his life catching up to him in one tragedy. A hand was placed on his shoulder, Percy half expected it to be Paul, but it was Annabeth.

She gave him a weak smile. "You have more guest."

A large group of teens and adults clad in black tuxes and dresses were making their way up to them. Selena and Beckendorf were at the lead, Selena hadn't stayed at her boyfriend's side for too long as she rushed to Percy and gave him a hug that rivaled Paul's. Percy could hear her sniffling as he hugged her back. He was still in awe at all of the other demigods in the area. Wouldn't they all draw attention to the cemetery?

"I hope you don't mind that we're late, but we all had gifts we wanted to give. That and both mom and Hermes had taken forever to get their gifts in order." Selena apologized as she let him go. "And don't get me started on Apollo and his hair issues."

Percy looked back at the crowed. He could see that many of Annabeth's siblings had come, the blond hair was unmistakable, Jason had also come with a rose in his hand, though his single flower seemed to pale at the assortment that Aphrodite had brought. Hermes had apparently broken into Percy's old home because he had a box full of old pictures and family things that the teen hadn't been able to grab.

"It's to my understanding that you lost some pictures." The messenger god smiled. "I figured you could choose one to give to your mom and I'll take the rest back to...uh...your room at the _home_. And both Travis and Connor, liberated some campers of their Drachmas."

The Stolls both lifted bags heavy with coins.

"And we've brought some as well." Malcolm smiled at Percy. "I guess you're mom will have enough to make it into Elysium."

Apollo smile and held forward a thick book for the son of Poseidon. "Heard your mom had a way with words, I found this on a laptop, finished, and I took the liberty of publishing it and sending it to every retail store I could. Your mom was a wonderful story teller, this way she will never be forgotten, little cousin. If you ever feel the need to hear her voice just read this, she is in every word. _And don't worry it's in Greek, you'll be able to read it without any hassle_."

The sun god said the last part a little quietly so Paul wouldn't be able to hear it. To say the teen was overwhelmed wouldn't begin to cover how he felt, he couldn't believe people he had just met were going out of their way for his mom, for _him_. Percy read the dedication in the book and felt his heart stop, '_I dedicate this book to my beautiful and wonderful son who reminds me that anything is possible, even when things seem bleak. I love you Percy, my sweet prince_'. He closed the book and held it to his chest, it had just become the most valuable thing he owned. Everyone began to set their bags of coins into the coffin with his mother and Jason set the flower over her hands.

The demigods all gathered around him and Paul as the funeral started. The service was brief and ended with Percy describing his mom as the most beautiful and kind person any one could have known. And with his final words the casket, now heavy with coins, was lowered into the ground. Percy had to be the first to throw a handful of dirt onto the wooden box. His hands trembled as he let the Earth slip from his fingers and down into the ground. Paul followed along with the others and soon the area was shoveled full.

"And these flowers." Aphrodite began as she showed Percy her assortment of white and blue flowers that had been woven into a blanket. "They will last forever and protect her, Percy. They are as beautiful as her and will never die, just like the love the two of you have for one another."

Percy smiled sadly as Aphrodite placed the flowers over the dark dirt, like magic they instantly took to the ground. His mom's grave was the most festive out of all and for a moment it felt as if it were the warmest place in the whole grave yard. The son of Poseidon wanted to voice his gratitude to everyone but he was almost positive he would start crying because this, this was more than he ever expected for them to do for him.

Selena smiled, knowing what he wanted to say, "You're welcome Percy."

**Okay, I'm going to stop beating you guys over the head with feels now...Please comment and send Percy your love**


	15. Sparring and Friends

**Okay you guys, I wanted to write a more lighthearted chapter for you all because for the last few chapters I've been chucking feels and sad stuff at you nonstop. I hope this chapter is a little bit more fun and light hearted. It takes place a few days after the funeral, there has been a sense of closure and a new family who have risen to help Percy though his tough time. Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Disclaimer, I do not own Percy Jackson all rights belong to Rick Riordan**

It took a lot of convincing for Paul to let Percy leave with Annabeth and the others, but finally the man conceded so long as Percy called to check in. Though Paul did seem reluctant when the teen said that he wouldn't be returning to Goode to finish the school year. Percy almost laughed at the fact that he was choosing to leave the school rather than being kicked out for some unexplainable disaster that would inevitably happen. The funeral left Percy feeling oddly happy, no he wasn't happy about having to burry his mom, but the fact that so many came to help him in his time of need thawed the ice in his stomach.

"Percy, before you leave." Paul had pulled him to the side for a quick goodbye. "I want you to know that you will always have a home with me. I'd be happy to take you in. You know that you've always been like a son to me."

Paul hugged Percy tightly again. "You have been the closest thing I've had to a dad, thank you Paul. For everything."

After one more tight squeeze Paul finally let Percy go. Percy felt bad that he left, Paul has always been good to him and his mom, if there wasn't a risk of the teen attracting hoards of monsters Percy would have gone with the older man. Annabeth quickly drew his thoughts away from the funeral that had been days ago. He found that everyone was a little more comfortable with him and people even tried to start conversations.

"So how you feeling?" She asked him while they headed to the arena for combat training. "I know it's been a couple of days, but..."

Percy gave her a lopsided smile, "I'm better than I was days ago."

"Are you still having nightmares?"

"Some." He admitted. "But it's nothing I can't handle."

The two of them arrived at the arena. Annabeth was dressed in a orange tank top and she had her blond hair pulled back into a pony tail. She also was wearing shorts, but Percy couldn't help but feel like she was going to get scraped up while they sparred. Of course they were only fighting hand to hand because the daughter of Athena felt that he needed to know how to defend himself without a weapon. Percy couldn't help but admire her confidence, she seemed to always be wearing it with whatever she did. He of course was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of blue swim shorts (just in case Annabeth decided to send him for another swim in the fountain).

Despite how quickly he could learn, Percy still ended up getting a good trashing from the blond girl. She'd kick and he'd duck, sometimes he'd send a hit back to her and every so often manage a blow. Annabeth nagged him on his form or stopped to make him adjust how he stood, but for the most part she seemed to be having fun training with him. She laughed really hard when she sent him tumbling off of his feet. He repaid her by kicking her legs from under her when she came to help him up.

"Wow. Didn't know you had it in you Seaweed Brian." She smirked as she wiped the dirt from her palms. Her smile turned sinister when they were both standing again. "How about you show me your defense?"

Percy had to work to avoid her attacks, block some of them and even counter by throwing her off balance. They sparred until they were dripping in sweat, eventually Annabeth decided that they should call it a day. She told him he could still use a lot of training and also said something about trying to find a balanced sword for him to use. As they were about to leave the arena Percy grabbed Annabeth by the waist, carried her to the fountain (quickly so she wouldn't be able to stop him), and sent the both of them tumbling into the cool salt water. It was a risky prank, but she just laughed once her shock wore off an splashed him in the face. He returned the attack and they ended up having a splash war.

Suddenly Annabeth paused before she could hit him in the face with another man made wave of water. He blinked in confusion. "What is it?"

"How are you doing that?" She grabbed at his shirt sleeve and let her fingers run over the material. She then touched his hair. "I guess it's another one of your abilities."

Percy looked down and realized he was absolutely dry where as Annabeth was soaking wet. He giggled at how silly she looked with her blond hair matted to her face and neck. She scowled for a moment and pushed him backwards and under the water. The retaliation didn't surprise him too much and he was still finding the sight of her drenched in water hilarious, especially because it was his fault. The dark haired teen resurfaced still dry and smiling innocently at his friend. The daughter of Athena gave him a thoughtful look.

"Do you think you can make it so you can get wet?"

The son of Poseidon thought about what it would feel like if his pant legs were wet and sure enough the water instantly soaked them. Percy only had a minute to marvel at his newly discovered ability when he received a huge splash of water that coated his whole face and the front of his shirt. He felt chilly as his clothing and hair stuck snugly against his skin. Now Annabeth was laughing at him. He stuck his tong out at her, he could taste the bitter salt water dripping on it, and she only grinned sweetly back.

"Funny, Wise girl."

By the time their fun in the fountain was over they were signaled to go to dinner, both Percy and Annabeth were forced to waddle all the way to the dining hall in wet clothing. Percy couldn't help but chuckle whenever Annabeth's shoes gave a rather loud squish and she'd shake her foot trying in vain to get the water out. He was still wet too, the son of Poseidon decided to suffer with the blond who'd give him a shove whenever she got the inclination to do so. Chiron was the first to spot them as they neared the doors to the dining hall. He gave the teens a smile, a chuckle, and a fond shake of his head.

"Should I even ask?"

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other with grins on their faces and answered, "Probably not."

"But it was his fault."

The son of the sea shook his head at her and flicked whatever water that remained dripping on his skin at her as payback. Chiron said something along the lines of _'children, ah to be young and silly'_ before he let the demigods take lead ahead of him and into the room. Most of the other kids and demigods immediately looked at the two, it was a sight to see, the son of Poseidon and the daughter of Athena, both dripping wet and being friendly. Annabeth ignored the prying eyes and pulled Percy to their usual table where her siblings were already laughing and joking about the two soaking teens.

"So sis," Malcolm began in the tone of voice that usually meant he was going to tease Annabeth. "Is there any water left in the ocean? Or did you and your boyfriend start a world wide drought?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and snatched up her brother's cup before setting it in front of her. She took her soaked ponytail and rang the water into the cup before giving it back to the older teen, "There, now you don't have to be worried that you won't get your fill of salt water."

"Annie," The blond boy whined and looked pathetically at the now salt water beverage, "What did you do that for?"

"For calling Percy my boyfriend when I've told you explicably that he's just a _friend_."

Malcolm scrunched up his nose, "I didn't know you could be so gross."

"I didn't know you were still five years old." Annabeth smirked. "And _you _of all people should know never to invoke revenge from a child of Athena brother, just be glad that I didn't decide to dye your hair hot pink tonight."

"So this is what you call _mercy_?" Her brother prodded as he lifted the glass and pushed it in her face. Percy held his hand tightly over his mouth so he wouldn't bust out laughing. Those two were the most perfect example of siblings that he had ever seen.

"It could have been a lot worse." Annabeth insisted sincerely and then poked Percy in the shoulder, "Just ask him."

Malcolm looked to the dark haired boy expectantly, that's how Percy realized he was Annabeth's backup in the argument, "Yes, your sister is vicious like a panther or an angry owl whose mouse has been stolen. You got off easier than I did when Poseidon claimed me."

The son of Athena just gave up the argument and ordered another drink, which the winds swiftly provided for him. Percy noticed that the rest of Annabeth's siblings didn't seem too eager to challenge their sister like Malcolm had been, but he knew when they whispered to each other, they were talking about him and Annabeth. He let his gaze wonder to his blond friend who was trying to dry her arms, face, and neck with a napkin. The teen wouldn't deny that she was pretty, but even if he did have a crush on her (come on how many times did he have to deny it!) she was probably way out of his league. If he did ever ask her on a date, she'd probably laugh and turn him down.

Besides, he was fine being friends with a beautiful, intelligent, pretty, and strong girl.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked, her hand filled with napkin hovered over her pony tail. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

The son of Poseidon blinked and brought himself from his thoughts. "Like what?"

"Weirdly." she demanded with a bright pink face. When he couldn't answer her she stopped trying to dry her hair and started to dry the water dripping down the back of his neck. "You should really change your clothes and dry your hair after dinner."

**I believe that they both doth protest too much, what about you guys. Sorry that it was kind of short and I know Annabeth got a little gross by filling her brother's cup with water from her pony tail, but I thought it was funny. I hope you've enjoyed your _brief_ brake from all of the sadness. Muahahahahahahahah.**

**P.S I wrote part of this late at night and I get kind of silly when I'm tired, trust me I was originally planning on giving another sad ending to this chapter, but I figured you guys and I needed to see our favorite son of Poseidon be happy, even if it is for a little bit.**


	16. No Rest

**Okay, I know that you probably won't care either way, but I just wanted to make a quick list of book couples and their songs, or at least what I think their songs would be. I've been hearing Shut Up and Dance a lot and I know what couple it is perfect for, and if you guys ever get board listen to these songs and think of the characters as you listen to these songs.**

**PercyXAnnabeth- Shut Up and Dance by Walk The Moon. ****Every time I listen or hear this song I can't help but think of Percy and Annabeth, I could list many others that match them, but this song is so cute, even if the music video is kind of weird. A second song I'd list is A Thousand years by Christina Perri**

**KatinessXPeeta- Stiches by Shawn Mendes (mostly their relationship in Mockingjay and maybe a little of how it was for him in between Catching Fire and the first book from Peeta's pov) Burning House by Cam (Definitely Katiness's Pov of her and Peeta *mostly Catching Fire and Mockingjay*, even if you don't like more country sounding songs, just listen to the lyrics).**

**MaxXFang- Long Shot by Kelly Clarkson**

**Okay I won't go any farther with that random topic, it's just been on my mind quite a bit and I wanted to get that out there. Any way, you can guess what comes next**

**Disclaimer, I don't own Percy Jackson, all rights belong to Rick Riordan**

After the dinner Percy could feel his skin chafing from his wet clothing. He was rather tired because of his spar with Annabeth and other events from the day, like the fact the Stolls had snuck into his room early in the morning and, with the help of their siblings, tried to carry the son of Poseidon to the Hermes wing before he had woken up. Percy wasn't sure what kind of prank that was supposed to be. There was also the fact Drew had begun to flirt with him again and Selena was trying to drag him off to talk about his love life (which he was pretty sure was non existent). Wise girl had saved him after lunch and offered a training session which ended up with the two of them taking a swim in the salt water fountain.

Percy gave a big yawn as he finally reached the door to his room. He paused for a moment, trying to listen for any signs of the sons of Hermes stalking around the area before walking through his bedroom door. The room was looking a little more inviting because Hermes hadn't just retrieved old pictures from the appartment, but also some of Percy's posters, his skate board (the teen had spent many days of selling his candy stash and doing odd jobs to buy it), some stuff that had belonged to his mom, and a jar full of old shells from Montauk. The messenger god had even gone through the trouble of setting everything up neatly in the room. The teen felt that he would have to thank the god again. Percy still couldn't understand why complete strangers were being so kind to him, but he decided not to refuse their generosity.

The teen shed his salt encrusted clothing in favor of his soft clean pajamas. As soon as his head hit the pillow the boy was out like a light. Percy hadn't been having really bad nightmares since the night before his claiming ceremony, but something seemed to give. He found himself in a crowded room, there were many pale figures surrounding him. Percy was surprised that he could see through all of them and that's when he realized that he was surrounded by dead people. They wailed and moaned as if they were sad or in pain, he was nearly overwhelmed by their cries.

Among the spirits he could see a familiar form becoming more and more noticeable. A woman with long, wavy brown hair and soft blue eyes. She looked board, absolutely uninterested in the restless group around her. Percy couldn't help it when he let out a little wine at the sight of his mother. He almost felt as if he could reach forward and grab her, but his feet seemed to be rooted in place by something other than fear.

"Mom!" He called out for her, though he felt that it was hopeless.

Her eyes instantly widen as she turned around searching for the source of his voice. Though Percy thought it was crazy for him to be able to interact with her in a dream. Finally her gaze seemed to rest on him, Percy watched as she opened and closed her mouth like a fish gaping for water. Percy felt himself become more nervous as she weaved through other ghost towards him. Her fast pace walk became a run as she got closer and closer to him, her eyes were spread wide as if to hug him.

Though her attempt resulted in her passing right through him.

"Percy?" She asked as she reached up for his face, her fingers hovering just above his cheek. "You're so hard to see. I was told that you didn't die, why are you here?"

The teen tilted his head. "I'm not exactly sure. This is just a dream, right?"

"Sweetheart," his mother smiled. "You've brought yourself to me. I knew you were going to be a strong demigod, but I hadn't realized..."

"Mom what's going on here?"

The sparkle of happiness in his mom's eyes flickered for a moment, kind of like it did when she tried to lie about Gabe hitting her or when she was trying to protect him from being hurt. He didn't want her to protect him, not anymore, all he wanted was to help her. Percy even demanded that she tell him the truth when it looked like she'd tell a white lie. His mom ran a pale hand through her hair and sighed regretfully.

"No one can get into the underworld, not for the past two years." She explained in a shaky voice. "Apparently, Hades had closed it after something happened, none of the others know what exactly, all they know is that no one will get peace until the matter is resolved."

Percy scowled, "Not even you, my friends on Olympus gave loads of Drachmas at your funeral. Annabeth said it was going to give you a ride to the afterlife."

"It's doubtful she or the others knew what Hades had done, Percy." His mother soothed as she hesitantly stopped herself from fixing his hair. "How have you been?"

Percy was amazed by the fact that she was basically stuck in limbo, and yet his mom was still more worried about him than she was herself. He wanted to tell her how hard it had to been to try and come to terms with her death. The teen could have spent hours talking to her about Olympus and his introduction with his dad, but he couldn't seem to form words or sentences. How could he talk about his life when she hasn't even gotten to move on in death? She gave him a smile, as if encouraging him to speak up.

"I met Dad." Percy told her. "And I've made some friends."

"That's what I hoped for," Her smile instantly brightened. "Are you and your father getting along?"

"So far, but Mom, I'm more worried about you." The son of Poseidon insisted. "I can't just leave you like this."

His mom looked pained, "Percy..."

"No, Mom, I'll find a way to save you, these people." He promised. "Do you know anyone who can tell me what's..."

Suddenly Percy felt as if something was yanking him back, as if they are pulling against his shirt. His mom looked worried as she tried to reach out for him, forgetting that she couldn't physically touch him. He saw one last glimpse of his mom as she shouted his name and then he was sucked into darkness.

_"You have summoned me, speak seeker and ask anything which you wish to know."_ The voice was so alien in sound that it made Percy's skin crawl, he hadn't been sure it was possible in a dream.

The teen searched around hoping to find the source of the reptilian voice, he was only swamped by green smoke. It was bitter and smelled like death, almost like someone had bottled the scent of a musty old crypt. Percy could feel the smoke wrapping around his arms and legs like snakes, small tendrils caressed his face and jaw. The smoke was warm and suffocating. He coughed, feeling as if he had just inhaled a puff of cigar smoke that Gabe had waved into his face.

Percy tried to focus on the darkness rather than the green mist around him, "Whose there?"

_"I am the oracle of Delphi, ask what you came here to know, child. Pray your sanity will remain."_

"How can I help my mom?" Percy asked nervously.

He wasn't sure he wanted to trust the voice or anything he couldn't see, but if the mysterious owner of the voice could tell him how to save his mom then he was willing to listen. The green smoke grew even thicker and surrounded him like a heavy fog. Percy could vaguely make out images and visions like a movie. He could see a rather angry and strong looking man, a black Greek helmet, and other things he couldn't seem to make out, things lashed out at him. It was almost enough to give him a headache.

_"You shall go West to save the god who is lost,_

_find what was stolen and return it at all cost,_

_there will be many trials in your way,_

_in the end there is a price you shall pay"_

Percy wasn't sure how good the last line sounded. He tried to ask more questions but his throat became dry and itchy. The teen coughed and coughed so hard that he had to wake up. It almost felt as if he had inhaled fire, he sat up trying to clear his air ways. Even his skin felt hot all over. Had someone set his room a flame while he had been asleep. When he opened his eyes, he wasn't met with anything more than the toxic green smoke that fled his lungs.

"I did not understand any of that." He muttered and ran his hands through his sweat matted hair.

Part of him didn't know if the dream held any consequence, though his instinct told him not to put too much faith in the idea of it all being just a dream. Percy hastily, and with spelling errors, wrote down what the snake-like voice had told him. He wondered if Annabeth knew what the 'Oracle of Delphi' was. There was to many questions running through his head for him to just fall back to sleep. Percy wasn't sure where he was supposed to start on his 'quest'.

The son of Poseidon slid out from under his covers and began to wonder around the room, it was large enough that he could walk from one end to the other. He could hear tiny voices murmuring sleepily from the fish tank. Percy walked to it and eyed the little creatures swimming lazily through the water, they seemed to get happier because he approached. Some of the more eager fish would accidently bump their heads up against the glass when they tried to get closer. It was actually rather adorable, though he didn't think they'd appreciate him laughing at them.

Percy soon decided the fish couldn't keep him amused for long and he didn't want to be responsible for them getting head injuries so he went back to his bed. He wanted to talk to Annabeth about his dream, ask her what she thought it meant, but it would be hours before she'd be awake. The teen decided to busy himself by reading his mom's book ( the lights came on automatically), as close as he could tell, it was about a boy whose struggles could easily parallel his own, well prior to her death so far. Percy wondered if his mom had been writing about him, was he her inspiration?

He wasn't sure, but he felt a little happier reading the book, reading his what was his mom's voice. It made him feel a little bit more complete. Percy didn't know how long he had been reading, having all the words in Greek and easy and a lot more fun for him to read. By the time he got through a few chapters the sun was coming up. The son of Poseidon didn't hesitate to close the book and go searching for Annabeth at first light.

Percy was glad that Annabeth was an early riser because he ran into her nearly half-way towards the dining hall. She apparently was coming to meet him too.

"Morning Seaweed brain." The daughter of Athena smiled at him. "Are you okay? You look like you're going to be sick."

"Well, I had a weird dream." He admitted immediately. "Could you tell me what the Oracle of Delphi is?"

Annabeth paled when he said that, "How do you know about the Oracle, Percy?"

"It's kind of a long story." Percy told her as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Tell me. Now"

**Hey guys, sorry it has taken too long I might not be able to up date often because I've just gotten a job and on top of it I have to go to school. But I will do my best.**


	17. On Deaf Ears

**Hey guys, sorry for the _long_ wait, but I just couldn't come up with anything for this chapter. If you guys want to give me some suggestions, I have many ideas about what is going to happen on his quest, but you suggestions may help me move the story along so I can reach those points.**

**Disclaimer I don't own Percy Jackson all rights belong to Rick Riordan**

Percy told Annabeth everything he could think of from his dream, she was more interested in the prophecy he was given. The daughter of Athena was rather disturbed when she heard that the dead were trapped. She immediately began to drag him along in search for Chiron. Percy was annoyed that she still hadn't explained what the 'Oracle of Delphi' was. It was typical for Annabeth to be pulling him around so no one questioned them as they passed, though he'd hear the occasional 'Percabeth' or something about them being 'love birds'.

"Annabeth." He tried to get her to tell him something, but she was still determined to keep pulling him forward. Percy pulled his arm from her unnaturally strong grasp. "Wise girl!"

"What, Seaweed brain?" She demanded and tried to grab his arm again. "We have to get to Chiron."

Percy frowned, "You still haven't explained _anything_."

"We don't have time for this. You got the first prophecy in _years_, and you got it through a dream. That's big." Annabeth told him. "I'll have Chiron explain things to you, but you have just been given a quest, Percy."

He rolled his eyes when she grabbed his arm and started to drag him again. It annoyed him when people avoided answering his questions or even just giving him an actual explanation. Percy didn't say anything more, he instead focused on the fact his mother needed him to save her. But what price would he have to pay? Was he going to die? Was finally letting her go the price for reopening the path to Hades? He wasn't sure about anything other than the fact that the last event of the prophecy was sure to come and bite him in the butt.

Annabeth gave his arm another strong tug, "There's Chiron! Come on Percy!"

She continued to shout for the centaur while simultaneously making Percy fall on his face. Wise girl scolded him for being so klutzy and brought him back to his feet to continue their run. It may have been the throbbing headache his fall had caused, but Percy swore he could see Chiron laughing at his predicamate. When they had mercifully reached the centaur Percy roughly yanked himself free of Annabeth's hand. He didn't understand why she was so excited about his quest. Was she afraid for him? Or something else?

"Good morning chil-"

"Percy was given a quest." Annabeth blurted automatically. Chiron frowned,

"How? The Oracle is back at the camp, and she can't exactally walk here, my girl."

The daughter of Athena nudged Percy, "Tell him everything you told me, Percy."

And so, he yet again gave a very detailed description of his dream, though Chiron looked even more troubled the longer Percy talked. The son of Poseidon felt as if he were talking about a rather taboo subject. He couldn't make any sense of his dream or the prophecy. Chiron placed his hands heavily on Percy's shoulders when the teen was finished talking. The sad look in the man's eyes told the son of Poseidon he wouldn't like what the centaur was about to say.

"You cannot do anything, my boy." Chiron muttered sadly.

Annabeth gave a cry of protest, "But Chiron, he was given a quest, he has to go!"

"I understand that you wish to go on a quest, but it is unsafe out there, especially for Percy." the man told her.

The daughter of Athena gave a huff and stomped her foot," but he's the one I've been waiting for! The one I was told to wait for, it's obvious Chiron."

"And I can't just leave my mom like that Chiron." Percy scowled. "Just tell me what I have to do and I'll do it."

"Percy, you aren't just a regular demigod, you are a son of one of the big three." Chiron told him. "You are very important, if Kronos manages to get his hands on you, that would spell doom for us all. I'm sure Zeus wouldn't permit you to leave, nor would your father want you to."

"But Chiron..." the two teens protested in unison.

"If either of you say another word about this quest I will be forced to confine you in your rooms." The centaur snapped. "Now go eat breakfast and say nothing of this prophecy."

Chiron was scared, Percy could tell, but with his mom suffering the teen couldn't bring himself to care too much. Even if he didn't have permission he was going to leave, Percy was going to go help his mom, no matter what. With his final words the centaur trotted off in a hurry. Percy crossed his arms and walked back in the direction of the dinning hall. He would leave that night, and if they have a problem with it, so be it.

"I can tell what you're thinking," Annabeth hurried to his side, "I'm not going to let you go..."

Percy gave a bitter laugh, "You can't stop me."

"_Alone_. I'm not going to let you go alone." She told him quietly. "How about I meet you in your room tonight? I'll get the supplies, you just get ready."

* * *

Very late that night, after a full day of being too preoccupied thinking about his dream, Percy returned to his room and quickly began to stuff some clothes into one of his old backpacks that Hermes had brought. Just as he was packing his last shirt, he heard a _'pop'_ sound which caught his attention. Turning around Percy spotted a small, paper wrapped box that had suddenly appeared on his bed. His name was written heavily in ancient Greek. Other than that, there was no indication of who the box came from or what was inside of it.

"What the-?"

His curiosity got the best of him and he tore through the wrapping quickly. Inside of the box was a small and cheap pen. Percy frowned and inspected it, but it didn't seem like anything special. He looked to see if there had been anything to come with it, he found a note.

_'The pen is mightier than the sword, never under estimate yourself...'_

There still wasn't a name, not even on the note. Percy rolled the pen around in his palm with his thumb. It definitely looked unimpressive. That is, until he uncapped it. He was going to see if it worked, to write a note for his dad, and was surprised wen a bonze weapon grew in his hands. The teen dropped the sword and it clamored loudly on the floor. Percy blinked a few times before reclaiming the sword.

It was surprisingly the most well balanced weapon he had ever held. On it was the inscription Anaklusmos, which was Greek for Riptide. He swung it expertly, fast enough to make a whooshing sound. He tried to recap the pen and in an instant the sword was gone. To say it was cool wouldn't be able to cover it. Percy stuffed the pen in his pocket just as Annabeth opened his door. She had a backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Ready, Seaweed brain?" She asked. Percy gave her a brief nod. "Good, we've got a friend whose coming with us."

Grover shuffled from behind the blond teen and gave a soft and nervous greeting. Percy was glad that Grover was coming, he was happy to have such good friends who would be there for him. The trio swiftly and quietly left Olympus without raising any alarms. It was mostly because of how smart Annabeth was. When they finally were able to hit the streets, Percy took a deep breath of the night air. New York seemed so, alien, after being surrounded by the scenery of Olympus for many days.

"So where too?" Grover asked as he shuffled around normally.

Annabeth smiled as she grabbed them both by the arms, "The prophecy said to go west, so we go west."

**Again I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while...**


	18. Taxi

**All I can say about this chapter is...dang. This chapter may be a little gruesome for some people, nothing extremely gory, well I guess it depends on what you consider gory. And again sorry it's been taking me so long to update.**

**Disclaimer, I do not own Percy Jackson all rights belong to Rick Riordan**

Percy rubbed his arms as he tried to keep his heat. He didn't have a good experience the last time he had been in the city, the teen didn't know if this time would be too much different. Both Annabeth and Grover stuck closely to his side like body guards. Despite insisting that she come on the quest, the daughter of Athena seemed weary of every mortal that passed them. Grover was even worse, tensing and jumping each time a stranger walked a little too close.

"We have to be careful." Annabeth explained. "While this quest if very important, Chiron wasn't lying when he said you were more valuable. You could very well be the deciding factor of the war between the titans and the gods."

Percy scowled at the wet sidewalk beneath their feet, "And I still don't understand why."

"Because you are you, man." Grover chimed in nervously. "You could, well, it's kind of hard to explain without telling you the prop-"

Annabeth reached over and clamped her hand over Grover's mouth. The shake of her head was enough to make the goat boy shut up. It also made Percy annoyed to no end, he wanted to understand why everyone was walking on eggshells around him. Something told Percy that whatever everyone was trying to avoid telling him also had to do with the pact that Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades had made all those years ago. Percy tried to bite back a growl of frustration, he knew if Annabeth wasn't willing to give up the information right away, she wouldn't yet.

"I'm not special." Percy told his friends. "I'm just me...so what ever you guys are trying to hide, probably has nothing to do with me at all."

The daughter of Athena grabbed his sleeve and gave it a tug, "Come on, I know a quicker way to get out of the city, if we're not gone by morning they'll send people out to get us."

All three friends went into a nearby ally and gathered around a puddle. Grover's lip quivered, almost as if he already knew what Annabeth was planning. The blond dug into her pocket for a small golden coin, a Drachma, and tossed it into the shallow, murky water. After giving a short statement in ancient Greek the whole ally started to fill up with fog, Percy could hear the honking of a taxi horn. At first he thought an accident was happening, but when Annabeth yanked him backwards he just narrowly avoided being hit by a grey, ghostly version of a taxi.

"Do we really have to get a ride with the sisters, Annabeth?" Grover whimpered and quietly added, "They're creepy."

Annabeth gave a slight scowl, "Come on, they're not that bad."

The car door opened soundlessly, fresh fog came tumbling out, it smelled like death. Grover gave another whine of protest before Annabeth shoved the two boys into the cabin of the car. Percy realized despite it's supernatural appearance, it wasn't any less like an actual taxi cab on the inside. He stepped on wrappers and bones that had been carelessly thrown onto the floor. The son of Poseidon was unfortunate to have been caught in the middle seat, he had to crouch to avoid getting gum in his hair. Some board passenger must have spent their time pressing their chewed up _Trident_ gum onto the roof for kicks.

"So where are you three young ones going?" One of the three women up front asked.

The driver cackled, "And so late at night?"

"Come now Anger, Wasp." The sister by the passenger door drew on. "Drachmas are Drachmas. Lets not question our guest. Where to godlings?"

Percy blinked, the prophecy hadn't been specific, it had just told him to '_go west to the god who is lost_'. West was a direction, but not a specific location. Annabeth looked at the son of Poseidon as if she expected him to come up with some kind of answer. The three women waited patiently for his response, Percy just gave them a helpless shrug and meekly said something about going west. Wasp, the driver, gave a laugh and slammed her foot onto the gas petal, sending all of the passengers reeling back from the force.

Grover yelped, Annabeth grasped tightly onto Percy's arm, and Percy nearly hit the ceiling. If he got out of the cab by the end of their trip without getting having to shave his head after would be a miracle. The sisters started arguing not too long after taking off, Percy was too afraid for his life to really pay attention to what they were saying. He and his friends screamed when they nearly ran into one of the many windows of store buildings. Were their any mythological traffic police?

"Where are we going?" Annabeth shouted. "Where exactally are you taking us? 'West' isn't a location?"

"We're taking you where you need to be. California, it's a pretty expensive trip, I hope you have enough Drachmas." Anger answered.

Their sister, who Percy was assuming was Tempest, looked back at the son of Poseidon with one glossy eye. Percy felt his skin craw as he resisted the urge to look away from her. There was something in her glance that he didn't really like. It was cold and calculating, kind of like Gabe when he was trying to add up a rough estimate of the money Percy had in his pocket. Annabeth seemed to pick up on his feelings because she gave his arm a gentle squeeze.

"Were are we anyway?" Percy noticed that the windows were no longer filled with the scenery of a city.

"Out of New York, already starting to get to Ohio, we've never driven this slow before, but, eh." The sister in the middle shrugged. "So how about we collect the Drachmas from you right now? It will be roughly, _one, two, five, six-_ seven hundred gold Drachmas for our services."

Tempest's grey lips twitched, "Sisters, isn't this the boy who has a large bounty on his head?"

"Give me the eye!" Anger shot her hand out and stole the eyeball right from her sister's head. Percy winced at the wet sound it gave when she shoved it into her own socket. After blinking a few times she looked at him. "I believe so, but why does it matter? We don't work for Kronos."

Wasp also spoke up, "Besides, we're taking the boy and his friends west."

"For a measly seven hundred in Drachmas?" Tempest argued. "We could make far more, thousands, hundreds of thousands of Drachmas for turning him over to the titan of time."

Annabeth stiffened next to him and reached for the blade sheathed at her hip. A fight was about to break out in the cab if the sisters continued this line of thought. Percy didn't think they had any advantage on the ghostly sisters considering they were going a hundred miles past possible. It didn't take the greedy three to come to the conclusion that they were going to take the son of Poseidon captive. Anger leapt forward and grabbed the front of Percy's shirt as if to pull him into the front seat. His friends grabbed the back of his jacket and tried to bring him back to them.

"Sorry children, this is your stop." Wasp told them, "But your friend here is coming with us."

The back doors of the car swung open. Percy could feel the wind trying to yank Grover and Annabeth from the car, if that happened then he wouldn't stand a chance of getting away from the three cab drivers. He looked up at the eye that was bobbing lazily in Anger's head. A sick thought came to his mind, he could feel a sour taste filling his mouth as he reached forward and wacked the grey woman on the head hard enough to knock the eyeball from her skull. She let out a cry of shock and released him to clasp her now empty socket.

"The eye! The eye!" She called out. "He knocked the eye out!"

"Find it!" Tempest yelled. "Close the doors, the child must not escape."

Upon her orders the cab doors slammed shut. Percy could only think of one way to get them to let him and his friends go, the only thing they seemed to care about more than money, he had to...ugh...hold their eye hostage. It was too dark in the car to see where exactally it was. The son of Poseidon sucked in a deep readying breath as he ran his fingers along the sticky carpet floor of the taxi. He found himself bumping into a few, unpleasant, surprises and then suddenly his hand tapped against something that seemed to be writhing. The eye.

After summoning his courage, and shutting off his gag reflex, Percy grasped the eye in his hand, "Are you looking for this?"

The three sisters gave a cry of joy, "Yes, be a good boy and return it."

"Let us out, now, or I crush it." As if to prove his point Percy tighten his grasp on the eye, the action made his stomach flip-flop.

"FINE, fine just don't hurt the eye." Wasp agreed and slammed on the breaks. Once the car was halted the doors opened and Percy eagerly got out of the car with his friends. "The eye please."

Wasp was reaching out of the car window for their possession. Percy didn't want to just hand it to her, she could end up yanking him inside and taking him with them anyway. Instead Percy smiled wickedly and tossed it into the back seat of the cab before slamming the door shut. That would teach them a lesson and keep them busy for hours. The three sisters gave cries of indignation and called him a liar.

"It's in the car, you can look for it once you get the heck out of here and far away from us." He told them. "Go, before I decide to crush it for real."

The taxi gave an angry revving sound before speeding off with the three sisters and their eyeball rolling around in the back. Was it evil of him? Maybe, but they were trying to kidnap him, so they got off easy. Grover plopped over in relief and nervously began to chew on his coat sleeve, Annabeth was also expressing her relief by throwing rocks in the direction that the ghost taxi had gone off in. Percy could tell she was saying some pretty nasty stuff in ancient Greek that he would be slapped for if he had repeated it to anyone else.

"Ugh, that is the last time I ever call on them for a ride!" Annabeth shouted and threw yet another stone.

Grover spoke through a mouth full of cloth, "I told you that they were creepy. If it hadn't been for Percy's quick thinking I don't know what would have happened."

"Right." The daughter of Athena looked down at her feet. "This was a...Percy I'm sorry. I should have figured...I should have known."

He could tell the admission of being wrong was hard for Annabeth, "You couldn't have predicted it, it's not your fault, Wise girl."

Annabeth didn't say anything as she rubbed her arms nervously. Their quest didn't have the best start, right out of the gate things had started to go wrong. Percy let out a sigh and searched their surroundings, he wasn't sure where they were, but he could tell it was a forest because of the lack of houses. Trees surrounded them like giant pillars, he could just barely see the moon peaking through the blanket of leaves over head. How did the sisters even maneuver through all of them?

"_So, this is the great child of the prophesy_." A feminine voice growled from the darkness. "_I see, this pup has a lot to learn before he is ready to save the world_."

Percy reached for Riptide, "Whose there?"

"_A natural fight instinct._" The voice continued to appraise him. "_That's good, now let's see what you do with it_. _Prepare yourself_!"

The son of Poseidon could see many luminous golden eyes appearing in the shadows. Low canine growls seemed to surround them, Percy's first instinct was to protect his friends. All three of them gathered in a circle, Grover seemed to be quaking too much to stand, but he pulled out a empty pop can and prepared to throw it at anything that moved. Wolves, many of them rushed from the dark and began to attack the trio. The largest one and her flocking pack members, their focus soul on the sea prince. Percy stood his ground, fully prepared to do whatever it took to protect his friends.

**Well, I hope this chapter is kind of awesome enough to make up for my writers block and lack of updating in a while. I'm really sorry it took so long, but I think that last chapter was a point that took me a bit to get over, any way please tell me what you think! I want to know!**


	19. She-wolf

**Hey guys, whatzup, I know it was a long wait, but here is the next chapter! Please enjoy and thank you all for reading and reviewing this story!**

**I do not own Percy Jackson, all rights belong to Rick Riordan**

Percy just narrowly avoided getting bitten in the arm, the beast were so big they could very well just take the whole limb off. He figured out pretty quickly he was the one that the wolves were after. His two friends were doing their best to hold their own against a couple of the pack members who were keeping them separated from the son of the sea god. It was hard for Percy to see the wolves that surrounded him in the darkness, but he still gave the bolder ones who rushed to attack him strong thwacks to the head with the hilt of his sword. They yipped and fell back, but the she-wolf continued to watch him with interest.

"Any plans, Wise girl?" Percy shouted to his friend.

The daughter of Athena was too busy to do more than give an annoyed grunt and dodge her attacker. Grover threw his can at a wolf, but the aluminum cylinder just bounced off of its head harmlessly. Percy tried to think of a way to get the wolves to cease their attacks. He wasn't confident enough in his ability to dodge, Percy glanced at the she-wolf who seemed to be evaluating him. Had the wolf actually been talking just before the attack?

It wasn't like the animals being able to speak would be the weirdest thing that that has happened to him. Percy scowled up at the She-wolf, it seemed like the others were guarding her while also going after him. Going after her may be the only way to get all of the pack members to stop attacking him and his friends. Just as one of the wolves came at him, sweeping low with its jaws to bite his legs, Percy waited for a moment before using all his strength to jump up and onto the wolf's back. It was just as shocked as him as he ran and leapt off of its back.

He continued to run towards the Alpha, dodging snaps and countering with a swift flick of his blade to send his attackers running in pain. Now, Percy didn't condone animal cruelty, but he wasn't about to let himself be severely injured for his morals. The She-wolf made no attempt to move from her spot. She continued to stair at him with large, dark eyes. To Percy, it almost felt as if she were expecting him to go after her.

"Percy!" Annabeth screamed, "Watch out!"

The teen turned in time to see a wolf he had already slashed come back for seconds. Percy quickly dodged, jumping to the side and giving up his endeavor to get the pack leader. The wolf curled his lips up and showed off his blackened gums. It was hard for the fourteen year old to believe that he lasted three minutes against a whole pack of the wolves, and it seemed as if he'd be puppy chow at the rate they were going. He refused to quit, however, if he wasn't going to make it to the She-wolf, he'd have to keep fighting until he couldn't fight anymore.

The wolf gave a growl and tried to charge, but the voice from earlier interrupted it, "_That's enough! The boy has proven himself to be strong._"

Percy watched as the attacking wolf gave a huff before returning to the darkness with all of the other pack members. The only one who remained was the leader. She circled the son of Poseidon for a moment, sniffing at his clothing and hair. He knew it would be a bad idea to react at all to her prodding. Grover made some kind of worried noise off to the side and Annabeth looked like she was about to scream bloody murder.

"_You smell strong, though the lingering stench of a mortal lingers and dulls your true sent._" The wolf said. "_Do you know who I am, pup?_"

Percy shook his head. "That's Lupa. You're the mother of Romulus and Remus, and the wolf goddess. You have trained many of the Roman campers. Am I correct?"

"_Yes._" Lupa glanced at Annabeth with an uninterested expression, as if she would have preferred to introduce herself. The wolf then looked back at Percy. "_I haven't seen a demigod with so much potential like you, but you're sloppy, you need training, or you won't survive._"

The son of Poseidon looked down at his redden bronze blade. He wasn't even sure how he was able to fight so well, or how he even knew what to do. Percy had only had a few brief training sessions, even then he had been sloppy and slow. But he_ didn't_ have time to train, his mom needed him, he needed to solve the riddle of a prophecy, and free the trapped souls. Percy hesitantly recapped Riptide, even with it he would be unable to defeat Lupa, he knew if she wanted to she could already have torn out his throat before he would have a chance to consider fighting her.

"All due respect," He began as he stuffed the pen form of his sword into his pocket. "I have more important things to do than train right now."

Annabeth gasped, "Percy!"

"_It's quite alright,_" the She-wolf almost seemed to be laughing, like a doting mother over her adorable accident prone son. "_I like it when I am given rather willful pups. They make good pack leaders."_

Percy didn't care about leading anyone, he just wanted to save his mom. Lupa gently bit at the sleeve of the teen's shirt and began to tug him into the woods. She gave a brief order for Percy's friends to follow, but did not wait up for them as she continued to lead the son of Poseidon farther into the forest. He wondered where she was taking him to, though he continued to follow mutely. Behind them, Percy could hear Grover and Annabeth mumbling to each other while tromping over fallen twigs along with other things on the forest floor.

By the time they reached a cave entrance in the clearing Percy's legs felt like they were going to give out on him. Who knew he was getting so tired? Lupa nudged him inside and waited for Grover and Annabeth to enter as well before following. The cave was large and dark, he could smell wet soil along with the stench of wet dog. He resisted the urge to cover his nose. Grover coughed unsurely behind him

"Where are we?" Grover questioned nervously.

"_My den,_ _you three shall sleep here with my pack for the night._" Lupa explained gently as she returned to Percy's side. "_Then you may continue your quest to find the god of war._"

Percy frowned, how was it Lupa could for sure say who exactally they were looking for, he didn't even know. He hadn't even said anything about the prophecy. Grover sped up his pace and managed to find Percy so he could grasp fearfully onto the back of his shirt. Not too long after Annabeth did the same to goat boy. It took a lengthy amount of time before the trio and Alpha wolf reached a large opening in the cave. Percy could tell because the air no longer felt so dense.

A light suddenly came from behind him, apparently when he hadn't been paying attention, Grover had gotten the gumption to dig through Percy's back pack. Percy felt like an idiot for not thinking about searching for a flashlight earlier, surely he should have known Annabeth was smart enough to pack at least one. Grover flashed the light farther into the cave, weary wolves lifted their heads. Some were cut up (thanks to Percy) and others were unmarred. A short growl from Lupa made them return to their resting state.

"_This way, Pups_." Lupa began to walk to a part of the cave that wasn't as crowded with her pack members and then she curled elegantly onto the ground. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover all sat near her in a semi-circle.

"You said something about finding the god of war, you mean we need to find Ares?" Annabeth asked. "What for? He's betrayed the gods and disappeared. The grey sisters said we needed to go to California, why would he be there?"

The wolf tilted her head, "_You're a very inquisitive one, aren't you?_"

"I'd just like to understand _why_ we need to find Ares." The daughter of Athena pressed, a ghost of a blush graced her cheeks. "Why is he important?"

Percy frowned, "And how do you know all of this stuff about our quest anyway."

"_I am a goddess and also not clueless._" The She-wolf snorted. "_War has been out of sorts for the better part of two years. He is the key to completing the rest of your quest. You must find him._"

Annabeth opened her mouth to ask more questions, but instead a yawn cut her short. It was a contagious yawn, Percy also found himself following her example and stretching his tired limbs. His eyes became very heavy, he hadn't had sleep since earlier that day or had they stayed up past midnight? After a full day of waiting, then running, then nearly being captured by three hags, and finally having a short battle with a bunch of wolves, Percy was ready to call it a day. Annabeth must have felt the same way because she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Why?" the daughter of Athena slurred sleepily.

"_You should follow your faun friends example and sleep, Pups._" Lupa instructed and curled up. "_Goodnight."_

Percy looked over at Grover who was curled possessively around the still lit flashlight. The sight would have been funny, if it weren't for the fact Percy was exhausted. Lupa was right, they needed rest. Before he knew it, Percy was laying down on the stone floor of the cave. He slipped into a deep sleep without too much trouble.

**I hope you liked this chapter, even if it wasn't too action packed. Please review and tell me what you think.**


	20. To Kill A Killer

**Hello and happy Easter! I know it's kind of early to say that but eh. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and thank you all for your reviews and feedback. **

**Disclaimer I do not own Percy Jackson, all rights belong to Rick Riordan**

Percy woke up feeling warm all over, almost like he was wrapped in a blanket. Half awake, the fourteen year old searched for the source of the heat with his hand. It rested upon the thick and soft fur of Lupa, she must have curled up with him while he had been asleep. He figured that it was probably a dog thing. Then he blindly searched for the second source of heat, this one was lying on top of his right arm and making it numb.

His hand instantly became entangled in soft, curly strands of hair, much less course than Lupa's fur. The source of heat nuzzled closer to him, that's when Percy felt his heart leap up and into his throat. He went into a sitting position so quickly that Annabeth was thrown to the side. She awoke on impact to the ground. The daughter of Athena let out a curse and shuffled as she up-righted herself.

"What the Hades, Seaweed brain?" She demanded.

Percy's face burned so badly that he was sure he was glowing in the dark. He wondered if Annabeth knew she had been cuddling up to him, maybe she had just gotten cold and, in her sleep, found the nearest heat source. Him. Even in the dankness of the cave, the son of Poseidon felt almost as if he could see Annabeth glowering blindly in his general direction. He couldn't find any words to say.

"Well?"

"Food!" Grover answered in his sleep.

The fourteen year old boy laughed, hoping her focus would go onto their friend's ridiculous outburst rather than her anger at him. It succeeded because Annabeth gave a fond chuckle before she woke Grover up. He apparently hadn't shut the flashlight off and the battery had given out sometime during the night. The trio and wolf were in the dark. Percy could feel Lupa clamor to her feet and stretch as she gave a big yawn. She nudged Percy's head,

"_Come, Pup, the day awaits you_."

After collecting his stuff, Percy grabbed onto Lupa's flank as she began to lead the demigods and satyr out of the cave. At first the three were blinded by the thin sunlight that came down to them, but they quickly adjusted. The forest was beautiful in the light; vibrant, green, healthy, all of the things Percy never got to see much in the _concrete jungle_. With a smile the son of Poseidon let himself soak it all up. His mom would have loved to see it, she would have loved to describe it in words.

Grover gave a content sigh, "This is as nature should be! It's wonderful out here."

The son of Poseidon nodded mutely in agreement. He felt himself freeze up when Annabeth's fingers softly brushed against his. She did nothing except cross her arms over her chest as if she were cold. Maybe she was pretending that she didn't know how close they had been moments ago. Percy mentally slapped himself so he'd stop thinking about her weight on him, the feeling of his fingers running through her hair-Ugh! If he could, he would have slammed his head against a wall.

"_Are you alright, pup?_" Lupa inquired merrily, as if she knew what was running through his head.

Percy swallowed, "I'm fine. So we have to find Ares, right? Will you be coming with us?"

Lupa shook her large head, "_No, you must do your quest on your own, but your friends will be a great help to you._"

He frowned, so the three of them would be on their own again. Percy felt like they were going to run into more trouble before the day was even out. The She-wolf didn't hesitate to push him forward with her snout, like a mother bird pushing its chick out of the nest. Lupa told him to return and train with her once his quest was over. Annabeth looked kind of disappointed when she wasn't given a similar order.

"Come on, Seaweed brain." She told him as she tugged on his sleeve, "We have to find a road, maybe even get a taxi, a non-mythological taxi. Or maybe get a bus."

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover began to wander, it didn't take long for the trees and bushes to swallow up the sight of the cave. It was going to be a humid and warm day, Percy could tell that much. He could already feel sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. The cave had been a lot cooler, so the temperature difference was very noticeable. Grover continued to babble happily about how beautiful the forest was.

"Seeing all of this, it makes me miss camp..." Annabeth frowned. "It was beautiful there as well. And...I just wish we could have done something differently, I wished we could have stopped Titan army from taking our home. It was your home too, Percy."

Percy gave a slight smile, the camp had always been highly praised by his fellow Greek demigods. He wasn't sure of anything other than the fact he really wanted to see this place. Thinking about how Kronos and his army had robbed him of that made him feel indignant, especially when he saw the forlorn expression on Annabeth's face when she talked about it. How could one person gain enough followers to push them out of their home? The daughter of Athena looked so sad, Percy just wanted to cheer her up.

"You know, maybe we will take the camp back from him some day." He told her. "I'll be there, you know, to help you."

She grinned brilliantly at him, like a star in the night sky. Percy felt himself blush lightly and rubbed the back of his head nervously. He really did like it when she smiled like that. The dark haired teen didn't pay attention as he ran into Grover who had suddenly stopped in his tracks. What was up with him? Percy tapped his still friend on the shoulder.

"G-man?"

Grover sniffed, "You guys, we have company..."

There was a rustling in the bushes, "Drat, Killer, I told you we needed to hide downwind from them."

"But here we would have been able to grab the kid and run." A second voice chimed.

Percy recognized them easily, they were the monsters that had chased him from Central Park to the Empire State building. Slate and Killer both materialized from the shrubs. They looked even more hideous than when he had first met them. A weird mixture of scales and patchy fur covered their bodies. While they had once looked human, their features had distorted and twisted to look more reptilian. Percy couldn't understand what had caused them to look so differently, he still hadn't had everything about the mythological explained to him.

"Long time no see, kid." Slate smirked and showed off some of his pointed teeth. "How about you make this easy on us and come quietly? We might not eat your little girlfriend there."

Killer snickered, "Not that it would be much trouble to eat her. She is probably some dumb daughter of Aphrodite."

Annabeth's fist clenched, her whole body was like a ridged spring ready to jump. It was obviously calling her dumb was a fatal mistake for anyone to make. The monsters took no heed as they charged at the trio. Slate went after Percy while Killer quickly took an opportunity to go for Annabeth, nether one was interested in Grover who trembled helplessly. Slate tried to grab onto Percy's arm,

"Come on, kid!"

The fourteen year old tumbled away, he tried to pull the pen out of his pocket but he fumbled and dropped it onto the ground. Slate kicked it away even though he obviously didn't understand the significance of the pen. Percy cursed his luck or lack of luck. The monster reached out to capture him, Percy kicked Slate in the shin and scrambled back to his feet. Slate flinched, but he wouldn't relent in his endeavor to grab the sea prince.

"I hear you are really the son of the sea god." the monster showed off all of his razor like teeth. "Do you understand how delicious that makes you? However, I'm more interested in serving my master rather than a taste of your rare blood. Be glad I found you before some other monster could sink his teeth into your flesh."

Percy could feel his skin crawl, it grossed the teen out to think there were things out there that would eat him as soon as they saw him. Suddenly a shriek pulled Slate's attention away. The son of Poseidon looked in Annabeth's direction as toxic yellow dust fell to the ground at her feet. Killer was nowhere to be seen. Slate's jaw went slack.

"You little brat."

There was a weight that had reappeared in Percy's pocket, he reached inside and found that the pen had returned. Instead of questioning why or how it appeared, he brought it out and uncapped it, ready to defend himself. Slate turned to look at him and growled like a angry dog. He apparently thought better than to attack because he fled into the forest without another word. Annabeth cleaned her blade off, an air of pride seemed to be radiating off of her.

She chuckled, "Whose dumb now?"

"Nice job, Wise girl. So is he dead?" Percy asked as he looked at the yellowed ground.

"F...for now." Grover told him through chattering teeth, "He will eventually find his way back to the surface."

"Can we do that?" Percy asked with a scowl, Grover shook his head. "That's totally unfair."

"Tell me about it." Annabeth muttered as she put away her blade. "Let's just find a road."

**Please review :)**


	21. Grover The Thug

**Hey guys, I know it's been a long time since I last updated, but here is my next chapter. I hope you enjoy it, no action, yet...**

**I also wanted to let you know I do have an ORIGINAL in progress story on Wattpad, it's been up for a few years and sadly has no reads besides when it registers me looking through it. I was working on it with a friend of mine, but he got pretty busy and now I am the sole writer. I would like to for you guys to read it. The pen name is 'the_two_immortals' and the story is called 'The Sorcerer's Blade'. The cover page is kind of pinkish with a grey cat on it, made by my friend. The beginning part of the first chapter was written by my friend, but the rest is my work so far. I would LOVE it if you guys would read it and tell me what you think!**

**And tell me, who do you think should be Percy's first monster kill?**

**-Mrs. Dodds**

**-The Minotaur**

**-Medusa**

**-Other?**

**Disclaimer, I do not own Percy Jackson, all rights belong to Rick Riordan**

Unfortunately for the three friends the humid air had brought rain. Even with the canopy of leaves above their heads they all got soaked by the heavily falling water. Percy hadn't even thought about making himself dry, he figured that Annabeth and Grover wouldn't appreciate him showing off. He didn't know how much farther they had to walk, but he felt tired and uncomfortable in the wet clothing. Why did he have to nobly choose to remain as miserable as his friends?

"We still haven't found a road." he complained to Annabeth.

Annabeth growled, "Blame Goat Boy, he still hasn't figured out a pathway spell to help us yet!"

"Why are you blaming me?" Grover bleated from behind them. "If you two were a couple of ferrets rather than demigods, I'd be able to give you a spell to return you to the wild."

The daughter of Athena rolled her eyes in irritation and trudge forward. They were all getting tired and irritated. Percy kind of felt bad for Grover, he came to help, but it seemed as if he couldn't find a real niche in the quest. Right now he was a punching bag for a couple of irritated teens. The son of the sea god was surprised to find out that Grover was actually _way_ older than him. There was so much about the demigod life he had to learn about.

"Hey, Annabeth." Percy began, he remembered how Slate and Killer no longer looked like normal police officers like they had the day he met them. "Why did they look different from when I met them before, the monsters?"

Annabeth slowed down so that she was walking next to him. She began smiling as if he were an adorable little kid who had asked a stupid question. He noticed her blond hair was matted down against her face and water raced down to her chin. It was funny, that the one thing the daughter of Athena _hadn't_ packed was an umbrella in case it rained. Though if he tried to make a joke about it, she'd probably stop smiling at him.

"Let's just say you _Mist_ it the first time." She giggled, obviously making a pun he wouldn't understand, yet.

Grover snorted and chuckled, little goat sounds as he laughed. "Yeah, it was a _Mist_ learning opportunity."

Both goat and girl began cracking up even more at their own banter. The son of Poseidon blushed at his ignorance of basic demigod knowledge. How was he supposed to know what he had missed if they wouldn't explain it to him? Annabeth saw the look on his face and decided to spare him from being at the expense of anymore of their jokes. She did her best to quell her chuckles before speaking,

"The Mist, it's a magical veil that protects mortals from seeing the monsters." the daughter of Athena began. "It doesn't always protect us from the mortal's assumptions, but it keeps the two worlds separate. You probably didn't understand enough to see through it when you had first met them."

Percy blinked, so the only thing keeping the mortal and godly world separate was a thin wall of magic?

"Hey guys, up ahead." Grover pointed to a clearing in the trees.

The son of Poseidon could just make out a small park in the distance. A blue jungle gym was the first thing to catch his eye. Annabeth gave a cheer as she began to run ahead. "There's probably something we can hide under until the rain quits!"

Percy and Grover ran as fast as they could to keep up with their friend. She was a fast runner, already half way to a park shed before they had even reached the clearing. The faint glow of a vending machine caught Percy's attention almost immediately; food sounded very good to the starving teen. Both Grover and Annabeth were relieved to be out of the rain, each thanked the gods for the shelter. Percy, as much as he loved water, was also glad to be out of the down pour.

"Even better than shelter is food." Percy told his friends as he pointed to the vending machine. "Are we going to use money or just smash the thing open?"

Annabeth lips curled into a smile. "Thug."

Regardless, Grover took it upon himself to break the glass with a cloven hove. Percy and Annabeth were both surprised by the goat-boy's actions, he was the last person who you'd think would vandalize public property. The satyr blushed bashfully at their wide-eyed gazes as he pulled out chips and other snacks for the three of them. Nervously he handed out the food.

"I figured we didn't have the money to waste." He explained as he munched on the corner of a _Doritos'_ bag. "And I also wanted to feel useful to you guys."

The daughter of Athena pat him on the shoulder, "You are very useful to our quest, Grover."

Annabeth, having no moral dilemma, began to eat her bag of chips merrily. At first Percy wasn't sure if he was hungry enough to eat stolen snacks, but then his growling stomach made him say '_to hades with it_' and he began to munch on the salty food. Grover also managed to find, and break, a vending machine with pops and juices. Percy couldn't say no to a crisp _Dr. Pepper_.

"Thanks, G-man." The son of Poseidon greedily drank the sweet pop.

The trio happily ate their food and drank pop as they talked about how they'd get to their next destination. It was a general consensus that they all wanted to avoid any mythological transportation. However, Annabeth did murmur something about wishing that they had Pegasus. Percy wondered what it would be like to see a flying horse, or to even ride one. The daughter of Athena told him about her first flight on a winged horse.

"It was really cool, I was scared but Luke-..." She trailed off sadly as she looked down into her empty bag of chips. "It's a pretty cool experience, maybe I could show you how to ride one, maybe someday soon."

Annabeth became rather quiet at the mention of some guy named Luke. Goat boy also seemed to be rather depressed at the name. Percy wondered if Luke was the friend she had been talking about earlier, the friend who may as well be dead. He had betrayed them or something, Percy wasn't sure about the guy. He had only ever heard bits and pieces.

Percy wanted to make his friends forget about what was bothering them, "It'd be cool if we could go out riding sometime. So, how about we get a bus when the rain lets up."

"If it lets up." Grover laughed as he looked out the continuing down pour. "We might be stuck here for a while."

Annabeth sighed and crumpled up the chip bag, "If it doesn't let up in an hour, we should head out regardless of the weather. It would be bad to fall behind on our quest."

For a long moment the three went silent. Percy knew part of it was them all being cold and wet, though the water didn't really bother him. They had nearly retrieved all of the food and a bunch of the drinks from the machines. Now stealing is wrong and Percy would never suggest that someone do it, but they were demigods on a quest and they were in need of such supplies. By the time they had gotten as much as they could pack, the fourteen year old son of Poseidon could hardly zip his bag shut.

"So Ares." Percy began. "He's the one who belonged in that empty seat on Olympus, right?"

"Yeah, but he kind of lost his marbles a couple years ago." Annabeth told him.

For some reason Percy had the image of a giant, buff guy searching the country for marbles. "What happened?"

"No one is exactally sure of anything except that he had betrayed the gods, he protected a servant of Kronos and let him get away with the Master Bolt." The blond teen explained.

Grover jumped up in excitement, "Maybe the Master Bolt is the stolen object we have to find."

"But that is in the complete opposite direction, the camp." Annabeth frowned and began to play with the beads around her neck. "Why would the Oracle tell us to go in the opposite direction of the Bolt if it was what we were after?"

"Maybe she has a bad sense of direction." Percy shrugged.

Annabeth shook her head, "You've got to be more respectful than that Percy, the Oracle is never wrong. Ugh, let's just get some rest before we leave."

Percy watched as she sat down onto the cement floor of their temporary shelter. Annabeth pulled a notebook and pen from her bag to write with. He wondered if it was a diary or maybe she was trying to write down everything that they knew so she could make sense of it. Meanwhile, both he and Grover started to play hot potato with a bottle of water to pass the time. It was a weird childish game, but the teen oddly found it enjoyable.

**Here it is, I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite how uneventful it was. I'll try to be better when it comes to updating. But I want you to know that I will NEVER abandon a story. If you have any suggestions or reviews please write them down, I'd love to hear them!**

**Also I do not promote stealing unless you are a fictional character in a book ;)**


	22. Informant

**Hey guys, I wanted to write another three P.O.V chapter to help me transition a little more smoothly. It also, well, again it is a chapter I've written at midnight and I am watching a movie at the same time. I'm so glad for your reviews and input. And thank you for your suggestions as well.**

**Disclaimer, I do not own Percy Jackson, all rights belong to Rick Riordan.**

The-thing that had attacked Dutch a few days prior continued to follow him. Dutch wasn't too sure what it wanted from the kid, but it seemed to think he was the best way find the boy. He had spent more time running then he had sleeping and just when he thought he could rest, bam, the monster comes lumbering at him from out of nowhere and it kept asking a rushed series of questions. _Where is Percy? Why did you have Percy's bag? Do you know where Percy was going?_ It was safe to say that the boy's name, Percy, was forever ingrained into his mind. What was supposed to be a clean get away had become a relentless game of cat and mouse.

And unfortunately for Dutch- he was the mouse.

After maneuvering through thick traffic and into a dingy alleyway, Dutch stopped to take a moment of rest. He could no longer hear the sound of the beast following his trail. The exhausted man could finally take a breather. He swiped his rag of a sleeve across his forehead and leaned heavily against a cool stone wall. If he got more than a moment of piece, Dutch promised to get himself back on the right track.

"Well, well, well." Dutch flinched, the right track was blocked by some young-bloods covered in tattoos and shiny jewelry. "If it ain't some old fart taking refuge in _our_ ally."

The safest option, his only option was to stick to the program of cowardice. "I don't want any trouble."

All five of the men laughed heartily, like dunks at a bar. Dutch tried to back track out of the ally, he refused to turn his back to the group of men. They were like animals, they'd kill him for fun if given half a chance. With each step he took back, the men took another step forward. Where was a giant, scary monster when you needed one?

"Oh, it looks like he's going to mess himself."

The young men began to take increasingly larger steps towards Dutch. He shivered even worse than he would on a sub-zero New York winter night. Each of the thugs were brandishing rather large knifes and smiling like feral dogs. There was no possible way they were going to let him leave the ally with his life. The cowardly thief had wandered into a wolf den when the beast were hungry for fresh blood.

Dutch's next step sent him sprawling onto his back. And then the attack began.

He was kicked, cut, thrown around the ally like an empty cardboard box. Each blow was more painful than the last. Dutch clenched his eyes shut and waited for his inevitable demise. One of the men leaned down and grasped the older man by the shirt. His smile was even more sinister up close.

"Any last words, old man?" The younger pressed his blade to Dutch's jaw. "Seeing as how you were unfortunate enough to wander into our ally, I thought it was only right."

Dutch wanted to laugh bitterly, _only right_. Though Dutch didn't have any high horse he could sit upon without being hypocritical. He had robbed a severely injured kid for all he had. The thief let his head fall back in acceptance. Dutch always knew that he was going to die on the streets. According to the pain he felt all over and the knife at his throat, apparently the day had finally come at full force.

The young man released his shirt, Dutch had thought it was so he could get better leverage to thrust the blade, but the hit never came. All of the men who had beat him screamed in fear, the sound of their scrambling feet had told him something scared them off. Dutch groaned, feeling sort of grateful to be alive, however the pain made him wish that the thug had been given the chance to end his life. Large but gentle arms scooped him off of the ground. Dutch's brain did a double take, he may have been a starving homeless man, but he highly doubted that anyone would be able to pick him up as if he were a child.

The man cracked a swollen eye open. It was the monster! "Let me go!"

"You need help, those mean men hurt you badly." The monster replied childishly. "I'm going to get you help."

Dutch tried to protest more instead his head lulled back uselessly and his arms became too heavy to use. The monster grinned at him with a rather human looking smile as it carried him into the street. As the man began to pass out he heard the beast assure him he'd be fine. _You're going to be ok._

* * *

Tyson sat at the homeless man's bedside. It was a good thing he had been following the smelly guy almost since they had first met. The young Cyclopes had tried to find Percy, but each time he thought he was following the right sent trail he'd get lost and end up somewhere Percy wasn't. Now, Tyson's only hope on finding his friend was the stinky man. He's the last person Tyson knew for sure had talked to his friend.

It took a lot of Band-Aids and medicine before the doctors had finally aloud Tyson to see the man. After all he, had saved the man's life. They had even given him _two_ peanut butter sandwiches while he waited. Tyson watched as the man's scruffy face began to twitch. The Cyclopes felt himself stirring with anticipation, he would finally be able to get the man to tell him about Percy.

"Ohhh... my head..." The man groaned and reached up to grasp his wrapped head.

Tyson didn't wait more than a moment before speaking, "Oh goody you're awake!"

"Oh, jeez!" The man yelped as he tried to scramble back. He said something sharply under his breath before resting his head on the hospital pillow again. "Hey kid, what are you doing in here? How did I get to a hospital?"

"I brought you here." Tyson said cheerfully with a proud smile on his face. Daddy would be proud of him. "The doctors let me stay here to make sure you're okay, and you still haven't answered my questions."

The man shifted on the bed. "Questions?"

"Yes."

"You sat in a crummy hospital room to ask me some questions." The man persisted.

"Yes."

Tyson watched him as a strange look came across his face, "Don't you have a home to get to or something, kid?"

"No. Can you just tell me about Percy? Where was Percy going?"

The man blinked in disbelief, "You're the one whose been chasing me around? Who ripped the bag off of my arm?"

"Yes."

"Look." The man began sharply. "He was looking for someone named 'Chiron' but that's all I know, I didn't stick around to do more than take his bag. Can you just leave me alone now? It's not right for some kid to be chasing a grown man around just to ask questions. So just get out, you got your answer."

"Thank you." Tyson tried to hug the man but he remembered that the man was really hurt. "I will tell the nice ladies to give you their best peanut butter sandwich! Bye-bye."

Once again Tyson happily began to resume his search, hoping that if he found this Chiron guy he'd be able to find his friend too.

* * *

Slate stood next to Kronos's coffin glaring at the three women who stood before them. They had given information on the boy's whereabouts, but they had not informed him about how well the demigoddess on his team was able to fight. The girl had taken Killer out before he had a chance to grab the son of Poseidon. Now Slate no longer had his side kick and he was unable to get his hands on the boy.

He was forced to get on his hellhound and report his failure.

"We gave you your information. The boy was as good as yours!" Tempest argued. "It isn't our fault that your men were incompetent and unable to catch him."

"You failed to provide us with full in tell." The titan lord's pet, Luke, was also a part of this debriefing. "It isn't hard to tell how powerful or how confident a demigod is by looking at them."

The monster frowned at the boy's input. Slate didn't see any use in him, but Kronos seemed to enjoy having the son of Hermes as his right hand. In front of them, the Grey sisters still stood defiant. Despite their faulty information, they still believed they should be paid for 'helping' in their endeavor to capture Percy Jackson. The titan of time still hadn't said if he were going one way or the other.

Slate was for sending the witches away without so much as a single Drachma.

All through the exchange Kronos had been silent, that silence was dangerous. The monster wondered what the titan was thinking, Slate hoped that he wouldn't end up the subject of his wrath. The blond demigod stood at the opposite end of Kronos's coffin, wringing his hands on the leather handle of his sword, Backbiter. An ironic name for a sword that belonged to a traitor.

"Regardless, I demand we receive payment for our services." Tempest persisted, though her sisters looked a little bit more leery of her boldness.

Luke shot forward quickly, so quickly that Slate hadn't even seen the movement. Before anyone could react the teen had his blade at the grey woman's throat. The other two sisters stumbled backwards as they tried to get out of striking distance. Tempest tried to pull herself from the furious demigod's grasp, but his grip was far too strong.

"Just be glad the three of you are leaving with your lives." Kronos spoke finally. "Go, before I change my mind."

The three women couldn't scramble out of the Big House fast enough. Soon it was only Slate, the angry demigod, and the titan of time remaining in the house. Luke re-sheathed his sword and kneeled in front of the coffin. Slate wondered how Kronos had gotten the boy to be so loyal to him, how did he get him to betray the gods? It had never really been clear to Slate why Luke had joined the titans.

"Sorry for losing my head, Lord Kronos." the boy muttered before heading up the stairs and to the comatose girl.

"We'll have to get more aggressive about getting the boy." Kronos told Slate. "It seems like he isn't going to be as easy to get as we thought...send our best tracker to retrieve the boy."

**I know you were probably expecting another Percy chapter, and that will come up next. What did you think about this chapter?**


	23. This is Bull

**Hey, long time no see! Well- not that I've ever seen you guys face to face before. Okay, I know I'm just being a little silly for no reason. But I've FINALLY finished this chapter! I'm sorry for the long wait, but I hope you enjoy this. Chapter originally posted 7/10/16**

**I hope I have fixed the errors, I have gone over this chapter as a test so I can make sure I can successfully edit and replace a chapter without losing my story or messing it up. Everything is the same, except that I went over it in Microsoft word to make sure there weren't any spelling errors, I would like to apologize for my miss spellings through out this story. **

**Disclaimer, I don't own Percy Jackson, all rights belong to Rick Riordan, not me.**

Percy was starting to get sleepy after sitting under the park building for so long. His friends also looked rather board as they watched the rain fall. The son of Poseidon gave a yawn and stretched out onto the cold cement floor. It was a miracle he wasn't trying to crawl out of his skin. He wished that the rain would stop, that they could just get on with their quest.

The daughter of Athena let out an annoyed growl, "Okay, forget it, only two things melt in the rain and we definitely aren't either of them so let's just go."

Grover and Percy followed close at her heels with their heavy bags over their shoulders. The rain had let up just a little bit, enough that they weren't immediately soaked. There were random mortals stumbling around with umbrellas shielding their heads. Percy was slightly envious of them, they weren't going to spend the next few hours trying to dry off. He let out a long sigh and made sure to keep up with his friends.

"Do you guys smell that?" Grover muttered and sniffed the air.

Percy smirked, "Hey man, you smelt it you dealt it."

"No." the goat boy snapped. His cheeks were slightly red. "I mean the dirt smell?"

"It's probably just because of the rain, everything smells like dirt." The daughter of Athena muttered.

Grover shook his head and almost said something but he suddenly was whisked away by a rush of wind and the smell of rotting meat. It all had happened before Percy could even blink. His friend's body tumbled away at high speeds before it finally came to a rest in the wet grass. It was impossible to be sure that Grover was still awake. Annabeth grabbed Percy's arm and tugged him backwards.

Where he had been moments ago was a giant bull man pawing at the ground. The guy could have really used a better stylist. He was clad in only a pair of white underwear. Percy could smell the musty scent of its fur clouding the air like toxic gas. The top half of its body was large and muscular with mangy fur covering it like a bull. Its snout was long and its small black eyes resting far back in its face.

"Percy...go check on Grover." Annabeth muttered.

The son of Poseidon blinked at her as if she were crazy, "That thing is a M-"

"I know what it is! Just go make sure Grover is still alive, I've got more monster fighting experience, remember?"

Percy internally cursed. He couldn't argue that she was in fact more trained, but there was a difference between a machine that would let you go after an hour and a monster that would rip you to shreds if given a chance. Annabeth wasn't budging an inch, and he knew if he didn't do as she asked that she might just turn her attention to him rather than the beast ahead of them. Grover gave a moan feet away from them and finally spurred Percy into action. While Annabeth prepared to face the beast, the teen raced to their unconscious friend.

When he had reached Grover he could see his friend panting for breath. The Minotaur must have knocked the wind from him, it was better than the beast permanently shutting off his friends lights. Percy needed to put him somewhere safe. He looked around the park and immediately found himself drawn to the monkey bar dome. It was a pretty fair distance away from them.

"Come on, Goat boy."

Percy grunted as he brought Grover's arm over his shoulder. He looked behind him to see Annabeth dodging and slashing at the monster. The whole scene felt wrong to him, like he should be the one protecting her. And Grover of course. The son of Poseidon pulled Grover into the dome of bars and hoped that his friend would be safe there.

"AHHHaaa!" Her scream ripped through the air like squealing tires.

Percy watched in horror as the monster threw her into the side of a shed and, like Grover, she went completely still. It was like a light switch had been flipped, that monster had just made a huge mistake. After giving Gorver one last glance, Percy clamored out of the monkey bar dome. The Minotaur was slowly treading its way towards, Annabeth as if it wasn't sure she was out cold, maybe it was planning on stomping on her head. Out of instinct and incurable rage, Percy reached into his pocket and grabbed Riptide.

He needed to get its attention, but he probably should have come up with a better plan before acting. "Hey, burger brains."

Percy threw the pen as hard as he could at the back of the Minotaur's head. The teen felt satisfied to hear a thwack as it hit the beast, but almost immediately realized his mistake. He felt as if someone had smacked him on the back of his head when the pen went flying off somewhere into the grass. Almost in slow motion the monster turned around to face him, heat mist shot from its snout. The son of Poseidon spared a glance at Annabeth who laid still on the ground. Her wet, blond hair was matted down over her face.

He prayed that she was only unconscious like Grover.

The monster gave a low growl as it began to slowly lumber towards him, its large furry arms swung lowly at its hips. Without a weapon Percy had to think on his feet, though his decisions didn't seem to always be the brightest. If Annabeth had seen him throw his only weapon she probably would have beaten him to a pulp. He felt his blood go cold as it was slowly making its way to him. What was he supposed to do with a giant monster and only a tiny bit of training?

Percy shook his head, he needed to stop worrying about himself. If he failed to stop the Minotaur, Annabeth and Grover could be killed. The teen was surprised when the beast suddenly sped up. On instinct Percy immediately leapt to the side just in time to avoid being turned to paste by the monster's large skull. The ground trembled when the Minotaur rammed into the bar dome.

It stumbled away and shook its head to fight off its concussion. Where it had made impact the metal had warped and twisted like a crumbled can. The hit had even made the out cold satyr stir in his unconsciousness. Soon the Minotaur recovered and it turned its attention onto Percy. Percy felt his heart race in his chest, his whole body went numb. What would be his next move?

Percy looked at the area around him, he had an open playground.

"Come at me, _Big Mac!_" Percy shouted as he turned on his heel to run.

He could hear the monster lumbering after him. The rain was starting to let up as he neared the spring toy sets. There were many different plastic animals: a lion, a chimera, and a Black Pegasus. Percy figured that he needed to find the pen, if it didn't come back to him first. What was the range in which it would return? Would it even return like it had when he was fighting Slate?

The Minotaur gave a roar and it started to come rushing after him. Percy leaped onto the Pegasus spring toy like a cat. It rocked violently as if it were actually living and trying to buck him off. Being a lot larger than a toddler made it hard for Percy to stay balanced on the stupid thing. He looked over his shoulder to see the monster making is way towards him.

"MOARRRR!" it roared.

Percy yelped as the riding toy lurched forward and nearly made him face plant onto the ground. Against his will his hands slipped from bars on the sides of its head and he tumbled off of it. The bull monster bellowed in pain as the Pegasus lashed backwards and dug into its shin. By this time Percy was sure that the Minotaur was getting thoroughly annoyed that it couldn't catch him. The son of Poseidon clamored to his feet, he needed to find a way to kill the Minotaur and fast.

The demigod and monster were starting to draw the attention of mortals, some were even holding their phones to their ears. Probably calling the police to report the battle happing in the playground. It actually surprised Percy that the monster wasn't attacking any of them. Though he figured that he was a far more intriguing target than regular humans were. Percy made a 'U' turn, maneuvering his way around the giant beast and back towards where he had lost his sword.

Annabeth was still motionless on the ground as well as Grover who was protected in the dome of the monkey bars. The son of Poseidon hoped that they didn't end up the center of the Minotaur's attention. Percy could feel the monster limping behind him, the crippling effect of the toy Pegasus hitting it in the shin hadn't slowed it down much. _I need to take this monster down before it hurts anyone else_.

Where was his sword?

Percy reached the place where he had seen the pen fly off too and he started to paw through the grass, trying to find his weapon. He was in the space between the bar dome and shed where Annabeth was starting to twitch. Unfortunately for him, the grass was so long it was impossible for him to find Riptide. Why did he have to be such an idiot? He had left himself defenseless and at the mercy of fate.

"Look out!" A weak voice rasped. "Percy!"

Too late. A large hand grasped at the back of his shirt and with great force sent him flying through the air. The world seemed to blur by he watched as Annabeth struggled to sit up, the monster turned to rush after him, and before he knew it his back was slamming hard into the metal bars of the dome. He accidently bit the side of his cheek and hot blood started filling his mouth. Percy felt as if all of his bones were rattling in his body and his teeth felt as if they were rocking in their sockets.

For a long moment he couldn't see anything, his ribs and spine throbbed painfully, then suddenly the park came rushing back in grays and greens and blues. Percy cried out in surprise as the Minotaur came rushing at him with its razor sharped horns bared to tear through his chest. The son of Poseidon felt his legs tense as he prepared to jump. Beyond Percy's comprehension, his body already seemed to know what he was supposed to do. He leapt upward at least fifteen feet into the air, just in time to avoid being crushed by the minotaur's head.

"MOOAR?" The beast hit the bars so hard that it had broken off the monster's right horn.

The metal dome rattled from the hit. Percy almost couldn't keep his footing on the wet bars when he landed. As soon as the Minotaur recovered it began reaching up to try and grab him. Below, protected in the dome, Grover groaned out _'food'_ as he rolled over onto his stomach. It was remarkable that goat boy could be thinking about food even when he was out cold.

Suddenly the monster was trying to reach into the metal dome to grab the goat boy. Percy scowled, if he didn't act quickly Grover could be hurt by it. _Oh not you don't_, Percy thought as he jumped down and kicked the beast in the face. He felt some of its bones cracking under the pressure of his weight. The monster fell heavily onto its back. The teen flipped off of the monster before he could falling onto the ground with it.

The monster was trying to get back to its feet, Percy was running out of options to keep the monster at bay. He reflexively kicked it in the snout once more, the Minotaur's head shot backwards sharply. It tried to reach out to grab him but he dodged. Percy felt the familiar weight of his pen return to his pocket. Ah, ha! The teen was so relieved that he could have cried.

The relief only lasted for a moment though, as the monster leapt to its feet. It swung its large arm and wacked Percy in the stomach. He went tumbling away from the monster, mid fall he flipped himself onto his feet. Minotaur started to charge at him once more. Percy uncapped the pen and brought the blade up to meet the minotaur in the center of its skull.

**SCLLLISSSHHHHH**

He felt the monster's body go ridged before it crumbled away like sand.

**So I hope you liked this chapter, if you have any suggestions or questions please ask. And please tell me what you thought about this chapter.**


	24. Now You See Me

**I don't think I can apologize enough for my poor attendance in my writing. I started my fanfiction account when I was in High School. My obligations were school and being a teen at the time. But now I have things that take up a lot of my energy. Again I want you guys to realize my college and my job take up a lot of my time. Its not that I don't want to update, but my other obligations make it hard to. Right now I have just gotten into 3D modeling, working in 3D programs to create objects and characters. I am at school or work pretty much all day, or I have homework to work on. I never give up on my stories, but I ask for patients NOT death threats or people telling me to die for lack of updating. Threats and people telling me to 'die' doesn't make me want to update any faster.**

**For those of you who don't do that stuff I love you all, and I'm sorry I'm making you wait so long :,(**

**Disclaimer, I do not own Percy Jackson all rights belong to Rick Riordan**

When the last of the Minotaur's dust fell to the ground Percy collapsed to his knees. It was as if all of his energy had been ripped from him. How had he managed to survive the fight? Percy panted and brushed his damp hair from his face. He could still sense the eyes of the on looking mortals piercing through his back.

"Percy..." Annabeth crawled up to him. She had a gash going across her forehead and her curly blond hair was matted down against her face. "How in Hades did you not die?"

Very good question. Percy thought as he spat a large clot out of his mouth, the dark read blob washed away with the remaining water on the grass. He was out matched in every way by the giant muscular monster. The teen was surprised he hadn't been turned into a pulp drink. Perci-cola, a great sports drink for any monster tired from a day of smashing demigods skulls in.

Trembling the son of Poseidon answered, "D..did you want me to die? Cause it's kinda late now."

With a furious scowl the blond childishly pinched his arm in retaliation. Her whole face had become red like a tomato, her eyes had watered up with tears. Percy figuring that her head was probably really hurting, he reached out and tried to move her hair to get a better view of the wound. Annabeth flinched back and smacked his hand away as soon as he had brushed it. The action had caused her face to turn a whole new shade of red.

"If I wanted you to die, I wouldn't have shouted 'P_ercy look out_!', would I?"

Percy shrugged and tried to get back onto his feet, only he was trembling too much to keep his balance. The daughter of Athena grabbed onto him, trying to break his fall. She called him an idiot before she checked him over for any severe injuries. He didn't feel severely injured, maybe his mouth hurt from him biting his cheek, but he felt fine. When Percy tried to tell Annabeth that, she called him an idiot again.

He sighed and looked back at the mortals, all were still too petrified to do anything more than call the police on their phones. Grover was still blissfully unaware of what had occurred, still out-cold from the Minotaur's hit. They had to get out of the park, they _had_ to leave. Some of the braver pedestrians made their way to the trio. Hesitantly of course, gods knows what they had seen through the Mist.

"A-are you kids alright?" a woman behind them asked. Percy looked over his shoulder to see a small boy with dark hair and grey eyes clutching onto her pant leg bashfully. Or maybe he was more terrified than anything.

"Are they okay?" A man demanded indignantly. "That kid just murdered someone!"

Annabeth's grey eyes gave him a frantic, _what are we going to do?_ look. What had the mortals seen? Percy looked to where the remaining monster dust was settled. Him, a murderer. That was great, fan-freaking-tastic. Of course that would be his luck. The teen rubbed the bridge of his noes in thought; how would they get out of the park without someone playing cop and putting them under civilian arrest.

"But that guy disappeared?" The little boy pointed out innocently. "Poof!"

"My little one is right. There is no..." When the woman put her hands over the boy's ears, Percy couldn't help but think of his mom doing the same for him when Gabe had gotten into a drunken fit. "There is no body."

Percy felt the little boy's grey eyes shoot up to him, an excited smile grew on the kid's face. "Hey mister, are you a wizard?"

It took the son of Poseidon a moment to realize that the boy had given him and his friends a way out. Despite his pounding head and jelly-like legs, Percy put on his best smile. "That's right! We are magicians, traveling around the world to promote our act in public places like this park."

"That's so cool!" The boy squealed as he jumped eagerly. "Mamma they're wizards, it was all a magic show."

"What kind of magic show does..._that_?" The man asked as he pointed to where the Minotaur had once been.

Annabeth, instantly catching onto Percy's plan snapped her finger and winked confidently, "The best kind. An epic battle between worriers and a hulking giant man. A real David and Goliath show."

"So you were the good guys and he was the bad one?" The little boy asked.

The man looked doubtful about the trio being a part of a magic act. "So, where is the other guy, the one who disappeared?"

"Oh him, he's hiding behind the shed over there." Annabeth pointed out. "He gets shy after his big 'death' scene."

All looked over to the park shed, expecting the Minotaur-or whoever they had seen- come walking out from behind the structure. While they were distracted, Annabeth gave Percy a nudge and nodded to where Grover was out cold. Telling him that they needed to get the goat boy and get outta Dodge. The two quickly shuffled to Grover and hauled him out of the play structure. Luckily, it seemed as if he was starting to come too.

"Whaz going on?" Grover slurred.

Annabeth silenced him. "Be quiet."

"We've got to leave before they get anymore suspicious."

So the three tried to walk away undetected, but their lie about their fourth member hadn't held the attention of the on lookers for long.

"Hey Mr. Wizard." The little boy called innocently. "Where are you going?"

Both Annabeth and Grover cursed under their breaths as more and more mortals began to close in on them. Police sirens wailed in the distance, Percy didn't want to stick around to find out what would happen when they arrived. The three friends continued to shuffle farther and farther from the group.

"Aye." The man shouted. "Even if this was a stupid stunt, you kids still have to talk to the police."

Grover bleated fearfully next to him and Annabeth looked as if her mind was going a mile a minute. Some of the adults were starting to close in on them. It was almost like they were going to try and take the three down. Percy felt a familiar tug in his gut, the same feeling he had gotten when he was causing the water fountains on Olympus to act up. Whatever he was about to do, he had to do it fast. _Please_ he thought as if trying to talk to the water all around him.

"Well my friends and I don't have time to stick around." The teen told him as the tug grew more and more intense. "And I think it's about time we disappeared."

It all happened at once, the water on the ground hissed like a snake before shooting up like a water fall going in reverse. The water seemed to turn to steam when it came in contact with the air. Everything was covered in a fog that was as transparent as a brick wall. No one would be able to see through it, except for Percy who seemed to be parting the fog with a mere wave of his hand. He nudged both Grover and Annabeth to indicate he had created their escape path.

While all the mortals were all in a panic in the fog, the trio made it to the other side of the shed where the fog's grasp hadn't reached. _Now what?_ Percy thought as he looked at the endless road ahead of them. It was Annabeth who had gotten their get away ride. Meaning three of the bikes that had been chained to the bike rack. Should they feel bad about stealing the bikes. Probably. But being caught by the police wasn't an option.

* * *

"Why couldn't we have hijacked a car?" Percy complained an hour later.

His thighs were burning and he felt exhausted. The teen didn't know how far they had gotten from the park, but his body was telling him that they had gotten far enough to earn a well deserved rest. Annabeth didn't think so. She was still peddling far ahead of him, her curly hair had become more unruly thanks to the fog Percy had created back at the park. Not even a pony tail could seem to tame it well.

Annabeth sent a side ways glance over her shoulder, "Cause cops tend to find a stolen car faster then stolen bikes."

"I'm sweating so much my fur is going to be matted." Grover bleated in annoyance.

The sun was high over their heads. Percy figured it was probably lunch time or at least his stomach insisted that it was. Those chips hadn't really filled him up. All the biking had eaten up any reserve of energy that he had left. Both Grover and Annabeth were looking exhausted like him.

"Come on guys," Annabeth chided as she swiped a line of sweat away from her forehead. "Let's just keep going until we get near something with a bathroom, maybe we can get cleaned up and rest for a bit."

The more childish side of Percy wanted to flop over and pout on the ground like a little kid. He knew she was right, that they had to keep pushing forward as long as they could, but the dark haired teen had been malnourished _before_ he had arrived at the base on Olympus. While going without substance filled food wasn't a new concept for him, Percy hardly felt he had the energy to keep moving. His whole body was becoming stiff and clumsy. He needed a burger or barbecue, something with lots of meat in it.

"Fine," Grover huffed. "But if we don't find a town soon we should just stop for a bit, Annie."

Annabeth's turned to face the goat boy, "Don't call me Annie."

Grover only grinned in response to her irritation. Of course they were all tired and on edge from their battle with the Minotaur. Percy could still feel his muscles were still painful from getting thrown to and fro around the park. The teen shook his head, in spite of the pain it caused, and tried to remind himself of his mission. His mom needed him so she could move on into the after life. After everything she had done for him for the last fourteen years, it was the least he could do.

Though, it didn't stop him from wishing for a colder day.

"Hold it right there, Children." A familiar voice cut through the trio's somber mood. It was Chiron, right behind them.

Percy winced, he had thought the crazy Gray sisters had at least got them far enough that they wouldn't get caught. Now they'd have to fight their friends to prevent themselves from being dragged back to Olympus. _Or_, Percy thought as he looked up at the cloudless sky, _Zeus might just smite me here and now_. The teen remembered his Uncle's threat back in the throne room. He didn't doubt that the overly dramatic god would kill him, even if it meant Poseidon would be mad.

"Chiron, listen..." Percy began as he turned his bike around.

But Chiron wasn't there per-say. Somehow an abundance of mist had formed a vanity mirror sized image of Chiron. Nether Grover nor Annabeth seemed too surprised by it, but Percy was. He figured he probably had a lot of surprises waiting for him through the remaining years of his life. The Centaur didn't look too pleased with any of them. His wrinkled face was drawn into a impatient frown.

"Annabeth, I told you that Percy was not aloud to leave Olympus. It's too dangerous for him." Their teacher scolded. "If Kronos were to get Percy into his clutches it would be the end of the world as we know it."

Percy frowned, he knew Chiron wasn't trying to be offensive, but the teen was starting to feel more like an unstable weapon then a human. He gave a growl and told Chiron, "You know Percy has his own mind and he can make his own decisions, he's not going to go bad just because he's being threatened by some bad guy."

"I'm sorry, Percy." an apologetic expression came to the older man's face. "We've failed to protect you once before, please, just let our scouts bring you back to Olympus before we fail to keep you safe a second time."

Percy looked down at the peddles of his bike, he wanted to turn and leave without saying another word to the Centaur. He respected Chiron as much as he respected Paul. It wasn't like the teen wanted a bunch of monsters to be chasing at his heel, trying to drag him to their master. There were just some things that were more important to him then self-preservation. Like his mother, his friends, the countless people suffering outside the gates of Hades.

"Come on, Chiron." Annabeth sighed. "Grover and I will keep Percy safe. With my knowledge and Grover's magic and Percy's strength, we're strong enough to take anything that Kronos might throw at us."

The Centaur looked pained at that, "If you three do not get to the scouts as soon as possible, you will come face to face with the monsters and mercenaries that the king and queen of the gods have sent after you. And they don't have orders to bring any of you back alive. Least of all Percy."

"W-what?" Grover's brown eyes seemed to bulge out of his head. Annabeth went pale but she didn't say anything. "They sent monsters to k-kill us."

"Namely Percy."

For some reason Percy felt the audacity to smile, "Peachy."

"This is not funny, Perseus!" Chiron voice boom. Percy flinched when Chiron used his real name. "Your life is at stake! Now, the three of you are to turn around and go meet up with the scouts. That is an order."

Percy looked away from the centaur's image again. "I'm sorry, Chiron. I can't do that, mom needs me and for once I'm not going to let her down."

"We'll see you back on Olympus." Annabeth's voice held confidence, but she seemed rather shaken up by what Chiron had told them. "Percy is safe with us."

Chiron's expression went cold, as if he had to shut off a part of himself before he spoke his next words. "Just like _she_ was."

"HOW DARE YOU?" Annabeth's eyes welled up with tears. "She has nothing to do with this."

"Are you sure that you are unable to draw similarities with the boy's problem and hers?" Chiron asked with an arched eyebrow. "You are wise beyond your years, Annabeth, but not even you can rationalize enough to cope with another loss of that nature."

Percy was completely out of the loop when it came to who this girl was. They were probably talking about Annabeth's friend. The girl who had died years ago, Percy had yet to know why or how she died. Now Chiron was promising his death if Percy did not immediately return to the safety of Olympus. While being hunted by two groups of monsters didn't seem ideal, Percy had faith that Annabeth and Grover could keep him safe.

"Like Wise Girl said 'we'll see you later', Chiron." Percy told the protesting centaur. Grover swiped his hand through the mist and dissipated Chiron's image.

The three were left staring at an empty road. Oddly enough Percy felt more energetic than he had moments ago. When he looked at his friends, however, both of them looked as if they'd throw up. Whatever had happened to that girl all those years ago was still haunting the two of them. Percy looked up to the sky. The sun was far above their heads, Percy was guessing that it meant that it was noon.

"Come on guys, let's take a quick break before we keep going." He told them before dismounting his bike and flopping carelessly onto the grass. Unlike their first break back at the park, they weren't filled with ceaseless chatter and childish horseplay. it was silent except for the cicadas that buzzed on in the distance.

**That's it for this chapter, I'm sorry if it is a bit slow. Hopefully my next chapter will be a bit more fast paced. Again, with school and work, it will take time for me to update, and I understand that many of you like this story, but I am only human. I have other obligations that can and will take up a lot of my time and my energy. I want to thank you for your support and I appreciate all of the kind reviews and helpful comments.**


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